Tsugi Tsugi To
by BlackMailer
Summary: Ran...I don't want you to think about me at all. Chapter 11 is up! Tsugi tsugi to: one after another...Mostly Shinichi x Ran oneshots, with some funny ones in between.
1. Carpe Diem!

**_Tsugi Tsugi To_**

_tsugi tsugi to: Japanese for "one after another"._

_**Warning: Do Not Read if Allergic to Randomness**_

_Hello, and welcome to BlackMailer's tales from the Random House (bad pun.). This is where I write, you read, and you choose whether you live or die. Review, and you live. Don't review, and...well, you get the picture. MwaHAHAhahahahaHAHAHAH..._

_Anyway, all I do is think up a random word or phrase, the first thing that comes into my head at any time, and I have to write a fic about it. No matter how strangely strange the word is, the fic MUST be about it or related to it._

_Sometimes I ask friends or relatives to say the first thing that pops into their head, and then write that down and make a fic about that. So it's not only me who gets to choose random words as topics—I might ask a bunch of YOU out there to send me the random junk that pops into YOUR head. Look out, FF-world!_

_So here is numbah one—(which, by the way, I got the phrase for while lounging in bed. The second, however, is from my sister, Ayumi-chan. Much thanks to you...) Hope you like it, y'all. :D_

**_Disclaimer: DCnot mine. Okay? Okay._**

****

**Carpe Diem!**

**Random Phrases: Save me from the seal/ ****shark attack**

"Good morning, Ran-chan!"

"Ermm-hmmm..." was the sleepy reply, as young Ran Mouri entered the living room, fully dressed, but not fully awake. "You're here way too early, Mom..."

Eri Kisaki, looking for all the world like a full-time mom in a regular dressy outfit, laughed and stooped to hug her daughter. "Well, I wanted to get a head start. There's a lot we have to do today. Carpe diem!"

"Carpet what?"

_"Carpe diem._ It'sLatin for 'seize the day', and it means you should enjoy the present and not think about the future." Eri picked up her handbag from the sofa and slung it over her shoulder. "Well, let's go, then, shall we?"

"Mmm-_hmm!"_ Wide awake now at the thought of spending an entire Saturday out having fun, Ran followed her mother out the apartment door and down to the sidewalk.

The streets of Beika were alive and bustling with people, even at eight-thirty in the morning. Ran and Eri walked through the crowds and down a side street, stopping at the familiar black gates of the Kudo mansion. A recognizable four-foot figure could already be seen moving inside the walls, bouncing a soccer ball with clear impatience.

"Hi, Shin-kun!" cried Ran happily, as she ran ahead through the open gate, flinging her arm around his shoulder and twirling. Poor Shinichi was forced to spin around till he tripped over the soccer ball he'd left on the ground.

_"Owwww!"_

"Oh, no! _Sorry!" _gasped Ran, covering her mouth with her hands. "Are you okay?" Then she had to giggle at the sight of her best friend sprawled facedown on the grass. "Shin-kun, you look so _funny!"_

Shinichi sat up, rubbing his hip. "That _hurt," _he informed her, but he was grinning too. "What's the big deal anyway? You see me practically every day."

Ran shrugged. "I just feel so _happy _today! Don't you?" She made an unsuccessful attempt at a pirouette and ended up on the ground beside Shinichi.

Yukiko Kudo came out of the house then, dressed in a yellow blouse and jeans and looking especially pretty. "Well, hello, Ran-chan!" she said smilingly. "What is everyone doing down there?"

Eri ducked inside the gate too and helped the children up. "Not everyone," she said to Yukiko. "You're not getting _me_ down there."

Yukiko laughed. "Okay, kids, no time to sit around! We'd better get going to the aquarium."

_"Yeah!" _exploded from the kids.

They headed for the bus stop and boarded the first one they could get, eager to be on their way. All the tourists smiled at the two children, who bounced down the aisle and into their seats. Unfortunately for the passengers who'd wished for a quiet ride, the start of the trip caused Shinichi and Ran to start singing happily (not to mention off-key) at the top of their lungs.

"Ninety-four bottles of beer on the wall..." Yukiko joined in after motioning to them to keep it down. Eri, however, just sat and watched, preferring not to sing any alcohol-related songs that reminded her of her husband.

"Ninety-three bottles of beer on the wall!" Ran belted out cheerfully. She thought the sky was bluer than ever, the clouds were big and fluffy, and the sun was shining bright yellow (although Shinichi insisted that sunlight was white and not yellow). Yes, it was a _great_ day to be out.

By the time they reached the aquarium, they'd gotten down to seventy-one bottles of beer, and the other riders had gotten to the end of their ropes. The bus driver looked extremely relieved to see them get off.

"Look, you guys, there it is!" announced Ran, jumping up to see the sign better.

"Woo_-hoo! _We're at the _Beika Ocean Center!" _Shinichi joined in.

They presented their tickets at the turnstile and _click-clacked _on through—except for the excited kids, who just ducked underneath.

"All right, what are we doing first?" Eri brought out a colored map and unfolded it.

Yukiko bent over to see. "Oh, look. They have a touch pool! How about that?"

"A touch pool?" Ran was puzzled.

"It's where they let you touch fish and other stuff," replied Shinichi knowingly. "I researched on the aquarium."

"Ohhh..." Ran said, impressed by his knowledge.

The area around the touch pool was luckily not too crowded, and the four of them were able to make their way to the front.

"Hey Ran-chan," called Shinichi, "come here! This thing's soft!"

Ran peered through the rippled water. A strange, flat creature wiggled around on the bottom. "What _is _it?"

"A blue-spotted stingray," Eri told her daughter, "but it's safe, don't worry."

Letting her hand slip into the water, Ran reached down and stroked the ray tentatively. "Ooh, it _is _soft!" Then she spotted a big starfish, which she picked up and gazed at happily.

By now Shinichi had run over to another side of the pool. "Over here! Look, Mom, it's a _shark!"_

At this Ran jumped back, splashing drops of water everywhere. "A _shark?"_

He nodded vigorously. "Check it out! It won't bite, I promise!"

Ran sidled over beside him, biting her lip. It was a bamboo shark, all right—smaller, of course, and harmless according to the sign—but a shark nonetheless.

"Come on, Ran-chan, just put your hand in and touch it." Shinichi was patting its back bravely.

"Um..." Ran backed away. "No thanks."

"It's okay, _really. _It's not bad at all, just a little rough..."

"I don't..."

Shinichi turned to face her. "You're not _scared, _are you?" he questioned.

Ran frowned slightly. "No way!" She stared down at the shark and her hand trailed in the water. "I'll do it!"

Shinichi looked satisfied. "Okay. We'll do it together."

She nodded. "One..."

"Two..."

"Three—_aaauugghhhh!"_

Shinichi had suddenly poked her in the ribs and growled, at which Ran had screamed and fled to Eri's side.

"Shin-kun!" reprimanded Yukiko.

"I'm sorry!" he cried. "I was just kidding! I didn't mean to..."

But Ran had looked away and gone back to the side of the pool.

Yukiko nudged her son. "Go on, apologize."

Shinichi approached slowly until he was beside her. "Ran-chan...?"

Her eyebrows furrowed, and she looked back into the pool. "Don't talk to me, please."

He saw Ran's eyes flicker over to his reflection in the water for a second. Then she turned away, frowning harder.

Shinichi took a breath. "Um...Ran-chan, I'm sorry."

He thought he saw her soften just a smidge. _"Really?"_

"Y-yeah..."

"Then I almost forgive you."

"Almost...?" He barely had time to get the word out before a shower of water droplets descended upon his head. "Hey—!"

Ran, Eri, and Yukiko were all laughing. "I got you!" shrieked Ran hysterically. "You should see your _face, _Shin-kun!"

He laughed too, relieved that she was no longer angry. "You sure did," he admitted.

Yukiko calmed down enough to dry him off with a mass of paper towels. "Shall we be moving on? There's a lot more to see!"

The map said that the Underwater Tunnel was next, to which they headed quickly.

"I heard they have sea cows," Shinichi said excitedly to Ran.

"What?"

"Sea cows. They're like...big...oh, never mind. You have to see them for yourself!"

They got in line on the walkalator, and they slowly moved forward into the tunnel.

_"Wow!" _breathed Ran and Shinichi simultaneously.

There wasn't much light inside, but you could see the colorful fish schooling behind the glass in the bluey-greenish water all around. It really did look like you were swimming through the sea.

A gigantic fish swam by them just then, and they laughed at the comical look on its face as it opened and shut its mouth.

Ran looked up and saw a dark shape glide by. _"A shark!"_

"Another one? Where?" Shinichi glanced around. "Oh! Wow!"

Ran cringed. "This one's a lot bigger..."

He smiled. "It's okay. It's behind glass now. It couldn't get us, right Mom?" He turned to Yukiko for confirmation.

"That's right. It's a sand tiger shark, it says here. It doesn't eat people, Ran-chan." Yukiko patted her shoulder.

"It _is_ pretty creepy in here. Hey, maybe we should ask Dad to write a murder mystery about the aquarium." Shinichi grinned hopefully. "The owner could be drowned in the tank, and then a shark swims by and—"

Ran clapped her hands to her ears.

Yukiko shook her head. "Stop it, Shin-kun...honestly, that father of yours. He's brainwashed you enough already with all of Holmes..."

Eri took out a camera then. "Wait, I need pictures of you all in here!" She snapped a couple photos of them looking at the fish swimming by.

"Sea cows!" yelled Shinichi suddenly, nearly scaring Ran to death again. She recovered quickly, though, and craned her neck over to see.

She thought they looked a bit like a whale with a walrus snout, and not like a cow at all. "They're so cute!"

The last few minutes of the ride were spent looking at the sea cows, and then they emerged back into the lit aquarium.

"That was _awesome!" _Shinichi's face was lit up.

"Yeah! Remember that big fish with the orange spots? And the one that looked like a rock..."

They chattered on, all the way back and through their lunch at the aquarium restaurant (fish and chips).

Eri sighed contentedly. "Having fun, Ran-chan?"

Ran nodded. "Oh, _yeah! _Carpen deemed!" she added proudly.

Eri and Yukiko gave each other a knowing aren't-our-kids-adorable smile.

Shinichi blinked. "Carpet what?"

"It means you should enjoy the present and not think about the future." It was Ran's turn to know something he didn't, although she'd gotten the words completely wrong.

Eri checked her watch. "Well, the show will be starting any minute now, so we'll just pay and go, okay?"

"Show!" the kids gasped in delight.

"Yes, they have a performance at three-thirty."

The waitress came over with a fishbowl filled with slips of paper. "Fortune?" she offered.

Shinichi plucked one from the top and read aloud, "'Your dream will come true'. Oh, cool! That means I'm going to become a great detective someday!"

Ran took longer choosing hers, rummaging at the bottom. She finally found one and dug it out, unfolding the slip.

_You will receive your first kiss._

She clapped her hand to her mouth and stared at it, making sure she'd read correctly. _Good thing I didn't read mine out loud!_

"What's yours say, Ran-chan?" Shinichi peered over her shoulder.

She crumpled it reflexively in her fist. "Nothing, nothing!" she said, smiling, but even she could hear how fake her voice sounded. "Just something about having good luck today, that's all."

"Oh, yeah? Well anyway, we're going to the show now. Come on." Shinichi took her hand and led her to Eri and Yukiko, who'd already started on the way.

Although there was much to talk about, Ran spent most of the walk thinking. The minute she'd finished reading her fortune, she'd been a little confused. Who could it be referring to? There wasn't anyone she _like_-liked, not since little Hideki Yoshida in nursery school. And that had only been a one-week thing.

Come to think of it, she really didn't know any other boys. Save Shinichi, who, heaven knew, was not going to be hooking up with her any time soon...

"Raaan-chan, we're _here!"_

"Huh?" She snapped out of her reverie, blushing slightly, and saw the vast rows of seats below them, with the open round glass tank in front. "Oh!"

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Beika Ocean Center's Seal Show!" announced a voice from the speakers.

_"Seals? _Oh, wow!" they said for about the millionth time that day.

"Over here," said Eri, steering them to their seats near the aisle. "It's starting, look!"

"Please put your hands together and welcome...Kana, Sadako, and Shinn, the Beika Ocean Center seals!"

"Shinn?" Yukiko chuckled. "Hear that, Shin-kun? They have a seal named after you!"

_"Arp, arp," _Shinichi imitated, laughing and flapping his arms like flippers.

"Today our lovely seal trainer, Miyaka-san, will be showing you how seals can be trained to do all kinds of tricks," continued the announcer. "Such as jumping through hoops—"

One of the seals leaped out of the water and through a hoop held by the trainer.

"—Jumping for fish—"

Another swam up, bobbed as the trainer held a fish high over her head, and snatched it out of the air.

"—And even doing a handstand!"

The last of them crawled onto a rock, leaned forward and flopped over until he was standing on his head.

"But first, how about a member of the audience coming down to meet the seals?" said the trainer, as she started to walk up the aisle. "Hmm...how about..."

Then Ran was being tapped on the arm. "You? Come on down!"

"What? _Me?"_ she exclaimed, looking back at Eri, who nodded encouragingly.

"Go on," whispered Shinichi, elbowing her and grinning.

Ran slid out of her seat and bounded down the steps after the trainer. When they reached the side of the tank, they climbed up onto a small platform.

"And what is your name?"

She cleared her throat nervously. "Ran Mouri."

"Okay, Ran, I'd like to introduce you to my friends Kana, Sadako, and Shinn."

The three seals struggled up on stage and extended their flippers for Ran to shake. They were almost as tall as she was. She giggled as she shook hands with each of them.

"Now, what I'm going to do is teach you some of the signals we use here to train the seals. First off, let's show them how to ask for a fish. Here's a fish—" the trainer placed one in Ran's outstretched hand "—and you just hold it out, okay?"

Ran dangled it by its tail, and immediately one seal held out its flipper politely to her.

"There you go! Good job!"

Ran stole a glance at the audience, and she could see Eri snapping photos and Yukiko and Shinichi waving at her. She grinned back.

The next few minutes seemed like the time of her life. Ran was taught how to make the seals lie down, give high-fives, and more.

"All right, now it's time to say goodbye!" Miyaka told them finally.

The seals waved at Ran, and she waved back shyly.

"Hey Shinn," said the trainer, holding onto Ran's shoulders, "don't you have something for our guest here?"

"It's not a fish, is it?" Ran asked.

A titter went through the crowd.

"Nope!" The trainer had a grin on her face. "It's something even better. Come on Shinn, give the kid her reward already!"

The seal waddled over to Ran's side—

--and planted a wet, fishy smack on her cheek.

The crowd laughed harder.

Ran laughed too, scrubbing at her face with her shirt sleeve. From the corner of her eye she could see Eri going crazy with the camera. _Mooom! Please, no!_

She hopped off the stage and ran back up to their seats, slinking through until she was back in between Yukiko and Shinichi.

"That was fun, huh?" chuckled Yukiko. "You looked so adorable from up here. I'm sure your mom will have a lot of memories of today."

Ran rolled her eyes at Eri, who was smiling as she stowed the camera back inside her handbag.

"So you _did _have good luck today, Ran-chan," Shinichi said on the way home, being too exhausted to sing any more (luckily for the other bus passengers). "I mean, it's not every day you get to help train seals, right?"

"Right," she replied with a sleepy smile. "I had a lot of fun today. Not just the seal show, but the rest of it too."

"Even the sharks?"

"Even the sharks," she agreed, closing her eyes and leaning back. Unknown to her as she drifted off, her head dropped onto Shinichi's shoulder.

_So my fortune sort of did come true. _

_But that doesn't really matter. Today was just the best day ever..._

Carpe diem.

_Hee hee. And so ends my first random fic._

_Yes, I KNOW the title is sorta unrelated, but come on. Try and think of a title for this fic that isn't corny-sounding—"A Trip to the Ocean Center"; "A Fun Day Out"; blah blah blah. Or maybe my mind's just not working enough to think of a title. If you can think of one then send it to me and I'll retitle it. _

_The stuff they did at the aquarium is based on my recent trip to Underwater World in Singapore, so if you've been there and this fic sounds familiar, you'll know why. XD They didn't have any fish 'n chips, though. And no, no seal show either. But there was a real touch pool (that ray was so SQUISHY). And the underwater tunnel with the sea cow (I got some good footage of it lunching). _

_But I just thought writing about Shin and Ran when they were kids would be fun—and heck, it was! I'm gonna keep writin' so don't stop reviewin'! XD _


	2. First Day of School

**_gTsugi Tsugi To!_**

_Numbah two up now! (grins) Sorry 'bout the long delay..._

_The phrase for this one came outta nowhere, but the idea was inspired quite recently by MY first day of school...dum dum DUMMM...I was feeling completely depressed and suckish since my best friends were in a different class from me, and I unluckily wound up with the Teachers From Hell, so I wrote a fic to make me feel better. Hope it doesn't suck too bad, as I am not quite sure how my writing style changes according to my mood...XD_

**First Day of School**

**Random Phrase: Wake me up from this nightmare...**

_Man._

Shinichi Kudo stumbled out of bed and to the shrilly ringing phone, yawning before answering.

_Who could be calling so early in the morning? _Although he thought he could guess. Only a couple of people knew him well enough to dare to call and interrupt his beauty sleep.

"Mmmmpphhh...h'lo?"

"Get _up, _you sleepyhead! Have you forgotten what day it is today?"

He glanced over at his wall calendar, not seeing anything of much interest. "My birthday was last May, Ran."

She laughed. _"No, _genius, it's the first day of school!"

"Oh, that." Holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder, he opened his closet and took down a uniform. "Nah, I probably just forgot to set my alarm. Why, what time is it?"

"Well, if you don't _hurry—_and I mean that in the most urgent sense of the word—"

Shinichi checked the clock.

Seven forty-five.

_Oh, shoot._

"Thanks-for-waking-me-up-Ran-see-ya-soon-gotta-go—bye!"

_Click._

He dashed around his room in record time, basically just throwing everything within arm's reach into his backpack (as he'd so conveniently forgotten to pack it the night before). Then into the bathroom, down to the kitchen with just a few minutes to grab a sandwich, and he was out the door and off to his first day at Teitan as a seventh-grader.

Ran Mouri leaned back against the brick wall of the school. It had taken Shinichi forever to wake up, and she was still waiting for him to actually get there so they could go in together as always. It was one of the many unwritten rules of their friendship, and she didn't dare break it, not on this day.

Seventh grade _already..._it seemed like all her grade school years had gone by in a blur. Had summer really gone by that fast?

Ran sighed and watched the students file in through the gates. Her blue eyes were half-closed, her long brown hair fell softly over her shoulder, her slender figure was positioned leaning casually against the gate; in short, she looked prettier and more mature than ever. She was growing up.

And yet...

And yet it seemed as though her parents weren't there to see it.

_Stop it, Ran, _she scolded herself. _You always end up feeling sorry for yourself whenever you think that! You know your parents love you._

But then why didn't they show it?

Eri Kisaki had left them when Ran was still young. She was a busy lawyer, so busy, in fact, that Ran barely ever got to see her. With a pang, she remembered how she'd tried to call her mom's office that very morning and gotten a busy signal.

And then there was Kogoro—although she hated to admit it, one of the sorriest excuses for a father she'd ever seen, at least these days. Ran could still remember a time when Kogoro had been the world's number-one parent; always fun, and approachable, and huggable, and...well, more of a dad. When she'd tried to wake him up today to tell him she was leaving for school, he'd merely grunted and rolled over in bed.

Why couldn't she have had parents more like Shinichi's? Yusaku and Yukiko, now they were great. Although they traveled a lot, when they came home they always made sure to spend some time around family and friends. They really cared.

"Sorry—I'm—late..."

Shinichi, gasping for breath as he ran up and steadied himself against the wall, caused her to abandon her self-pitying just then.

"Where have you been?" Ran turned on him, more from anger at her parents than at Shinichi himself.

He raised his eyebrows. "Ah, well, sorry, but like I told you, I woke up late."

"Then set your alarm next time." Ran softened now, realizing she'd sounded harsh. "Anyway, let's get up to our classroom. You came just in time; the bell—"

_Brriingggg!_

"—Has rung," she completed. "You're lucky I didn't leave you behind."

"Yeah, like I really need you to protect me on the first day of school," Shinichi retorted teasingly, to which she replied by sticking out her tongue.

"I could just as easily kick _your _butt," she reminded him, grinning.

Ran couldn't explain it, but Shinichi's presence always made her feel a lot better. She forgot all about her parents as they ascended the staircase to the seventh-grade floor.

"Man, I can't believe summer's over already!" exclaimed Shinichi. "Now that school's started, I'll have less time to work on solving cases."

"Solving cases? Uh, need I remind you, Shinichi, but all you do at Inspector Megure's office is file paperwork."

"I wasn't talking about that. If the inspector won't accept my master sleuthing skills—" here he smiled self-consciously "—then I'll just have to do some investigating on my own. There's tons of opportunities out there for me."

"Such as?" Ran asked, but she didn't wait for the answer—she was too busy rushing over to see the list of classes.

"So, what room are we in this year?" He leaned over her shoulder.

Her eyes flew across the lists. "Uh, let's see...ah, Kudo Shinichi, 7-1. Mouri Ran, 7..._2??"_

It took a few seconds for her brain to process the information her eyes were sending it.

Shinichi was in 7-1.

She was in 7-2.

They were apart.

They were _apart?_

Ran couldn't believe it. She was stunned beyond all words. It was impossible.

They'd never been apart before. The two of them had been classmates for so long; she'd always just assumed they would be together the next year.

They'd always sat together in class, so that if one of them fell asleep, they could be shaken awake immediately. They'd played word games under the table to pass the time; they'd passed notes and laughed at the teacher when he wasn't looking.

But now...

Ran whirled around, worry creasing her forehead. "I don't believe it. We're in separate classes."

Shinichi frowned. "Well, it had to happen sometime, right?"

"Yeah, but..." She shook her head. "It won't be the same."

"Come on. We'll still get to see each other during lunch and everything. And we'll still walk home together."

"That's not what I mean. I mean..." She sighed, feeling whatever happiness she'd had evaporate like water on a hot day. "It's just not the same."

They walked down the hallway silently. When they got to 7-1, Shinichi turned. "This is my stop." He grinned, punching her lightly on the shoulder. "Don't miss me too much, okay?"

"As if," she said, rolling her eyes, but in truth she was hiding how bad she felt at their parting.

"See you at lunch."

"Yeah...see you."

She continued down the hallway alone.

No more poking fun at old linstructors and then getting lectured for it.

No more coded messages under the table for her to decipher.

No more having to deliver endless wake-up pokes.

How would she _survive?_

Needless to say, it had not been one of Ran's better days. Heck, it hadn't even been one of her worse ones. It had been The Worst Day Ever.

She'd taken a seat in the back, (near the window so she'd have something to stare out of) so as not to be too conspicuous, and had gotten called on anyway. Unfortunately, she hadn't been listening either. The teacher had glared mercilessly, and her classmates had snickered just as hard. She had stuttered out a wild guess at the answer, which had only earned her a spot at the top of the teacher's Students to Torture list.

Not exactly the best way to start the year.

At the sound of the lunch bell, Ran burst out of the classroom first, thankful for the fresh air and freedom. She'd felt cramped in that classroom all day, dying for open space, resisting the urge to get up, stretch and walk around.

Now she straightened, took a deep breath, and headed down the hall for 7A. Almost as if it was habit, she leaned against the wall in wait for their class to be dismissed.

Students exited the room in groups, all chattering animatedly. Ran fought her way through the sea of people, searching for a familiar face.

"Hey." Shinichi appeared just then, falling into step beside her. "How was it so far?"

"Terrible," she replied shortly. "I hate everyone in my class, and the teacher scares me to death...What about you?"

"It's actually pretty fun," he told her, "our teacher's great and I've made a bunch of new friends already—" He stopped, though, when he saw her face. _"That_ bad, huh?"

"What do you think?" Ran sighed. "No, I'll survive."

They sat at their regular table, Shinichi habitually acknowledging the stares of passing fangirls. Ran barely ate; she was too busy telling him about the Worst Day Ever. Although they'd only been apart for a couple hours, it felt like forever.

"...and I almost died in Math, I completely forgot we had to do that—algebra thingy." She made a face.

"Tough." Shinichi looked sympathetic, then smirked. "But I picked up some good news—we'll be studying real classics in English this year. And that means—Holmes!"

_"Is_ Holmes a classic? Shinichi, I think they meant _Shakespeare_ and stuff like that..."

"Oh, come on! How can Holmes _not_ be a classic? He's the most famous detective in literature!"

They continued their argument while wandering out over the school grounds. When it had finally been resolved by asking their passing English teacher, (who had told them that Holmes could be counted as a classic but that unfortunately they would not be studying it) their talk turned to other things.

"So are you thinking about trying out for the soccer team this year, like you planned?" asked Ran as they sat at their usual hang-out spot under a big tree.

"Yeah. I thought it sounded like a good way to build up my skills."

"You could always join the karate team..."

"And risk an early death because of your evil, evil punching-kicking attacks of doom? Uh-uh. I want to live long enough to get _married_ at least, thank you."

"Suit yourself," she chuckled, trying with embarrassment to hide the fact that she'd blushed at his mention of the word 'married'. "Okay, I'll be cheering for you from the bleachers when you win that big game."

"Right." Shinichi leaned back against the tree trunk. "Hey, Ran?"

"Hm?"

"Are you feeling better now? 'Cause you look a lot happier than you did."

With a pang of disappointment, she suddenly remembered that she'd be going up to class soon. "Oh. Yeah, I...I am. Thanks."

As a matter of fact, she _did_ feel a lot better. But the fact that they were still separated left a sick feeling in her stomach.

There was something bittersweet in her smile as they ascended the steps once more. And maybe Shinichi had noticed it, judging by what he said next.

"Ran, when you get to class, sit at the leftmost back, right up against the wall. Okay?"

She gave him a strange look. "Why...?

"Just do it. You'll see why later, okay?"

"Okay..."

"Well, 'bye then!" With a jovial wave, he bounded up the last of the steps and disappeared into his classroom.

Ran obeyed his orders, not exactly sure why. Maybe she was too out of everything to really care. As the teacher entered, and the droll lectures began again, she began to sink lower in her chair, leaning on the supplies cabinet in the corner directly to her left.

_Unnhh..._

A sudden rustling jerked her awake. Coming from inside the cabinet she was leaning on. Surprised, she looked down and saw something she hadn't noticed before: a hole down right near the bottom of the side, corresponding with a hole in the wall.

A note was wedged in the hole...

_Hey Ran!_

_My dad told me about this hole he found in the wall between 7-1 and 7-2 when he was at school. He and his friend made two holes in the back of each cabinet lining up with this one so they could pass notes to each other even if they were in separate rooms. I'd thought that someone had repaired the cabinets by now, but surprisingly when I checked there they were, all ready for our use. _

_So, how goes it in the Land of Torture?_

_Shin_

With a joyously pounding heart and a sunbeam-like smile dancing across her face, Ran flipped the piece of paper over.

_Shinichi, be sure to thank your dad for me! And thank you too. This really made my day._

_As for the Land of Torture...nothing the evil, evil punching-kicking girl of doom can't handle. XD You just better not forget to send me notes in class!_

_Ran_

_Worst Day Ever? _she thought as she stuck the note back into its makeshift mailbox and settled back contentedly, watching it disappear from sight.

_What_ worst day?

_Yay, chaptah two done already. Now I can sit back, relax, and be happy._

_Yeah, my best pals Trina and Danielle are in the 7B class this year, and I am in 7A. I felt like crying that first day, but two of my other friends, Kuwalla the Flame Alchemist and Black Roses666 are my classmates, so I cheered up almost immediately. Ah, happy, happy youth... _

_By the way, thanks to my very first reviewer for Carpe Diem: xybolic! Ta daa! I finished the chap with your phrase already, it's chapter 4 so keep a lookout. _

_Thank you kami moochi aka Trina, and hope you enjoyed the sneak preview of chapter 4. Now you won't have to kel me cause I updated, so there. _

_And thanks also to Ranma151773012, without whom I wouldn't have been able to regain confidence enough to continue. I'll be asking you for a phrase now! Hee..._

Genta: NEXT BLACKMAILER'S HINT!

BlackMailer: ...Genta, what on Earth are you doing here?

Genta: The hint. For chapter three.

BlackMailer: Oh...oh-kaaay...

Genta: Ahem.

NEXT BLACKMAILER'S HINT!

Conan: 'Beat!'

BlackMailer: Yay! Edogawa-sama!

...but why is 'Pounding of My Heart' playing in the background?

Fangirls: (stampede in) _WE LOVE YOU CONAN!!!_

BlackMailer: Okay-thanks-for-tuning-in-see-you-next-time-bye! (runs away)


	3. The Art of Self Defense

**_Tsugi Tsugi To!_**

_Okay, okay, here I have numbah three. (shallow breathing) Pant pant...whoo, no-one ever said fic-writing was easy! Unlike my others, however, which are all pretty much kid-friendly, this one's rated PG for some...uhh...never mind._

_Anyway, this was inspired not by a random word, but is actually based on something I did with my older cousin. I'd just come from a tae kwon do competition (yes, I am a TKD player, whoot whoot, TKD rocks!) and I wanted to practice some more. So I made my 18-year-old cousin wear the armor and stuff, and then I spent the next hour or so beating him up. (Only problem is, he's really, really tall...)_

_Voila! And Chapter Three, in all its humor and added fluffiness, was born. Enjoy!_

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**The Art of Self-Defense**

Shinichi had experienced a fair amount of pain in the past. Soccer injuries came once in a while, accidents in the kitchen, rarely. Sometimes he even went as far as to trip over the stairs, his own feet, or a garbage can, landing flat on his face. And then there was the usual beating he got around the head for forgetting a date or missing a performance. But all that put together was _nothing_ compared to what he was about to get...

"You want me to do _what?"_

Shinichi immediately leaped out of his chair, gaping at what he'd just heard. "You can't be serious."

Ran gave him a look that said very clearly, _Oh, yes I can. _"Come on, it's only for a while. I need to get my weekly karate practice in. Two hours, at the very most. You'll just have to stand there, that's all."

"You mean, stand there and let you hit me." He shook his head, raising his hands. "Sorry, Ran. Can't you just practice on a punching bag or something?"

"Punching bags are too inconvenient."

"Your dad then."

"Shinichi!"

"What? It's not like he'll feel it or anything; he's so drunk he could be in the middle of World War III and not notice."

But then Ran glared at him so maleficent-ly, as if she were saying she could _start _World War III if he went on like that, and so Shinichi decided to keep his mouth shut so he wouldn't get killed more than he was about to be.

_Maybe if I beg really, really nicely, she'll let me off..._

Well, Shinichi thought as he took what might well be his last breaths, it wasn't as if he had much of a chance anyway. Besides, Ran would have been harder on him if he'd said no.

He was standing in the middle of the dojo, wearing all the protective gear Ran had given him. Chest guard, arm guards, shin guards, helmet, and so on. She had even offered to lend him her groin guard, which he had not found very amusing.

_Just how much pain is she planning to inflict on me?_

True, he hadn't spent much time with her recently. And he did want to. He _liked _her, for crying out loud. There was almost nothing he wouldn't do for her.

But asking him to die for her was just too much. All the more asking him to let _her_ kill him.

"Okay, I'm ready."

Ran entered the room, wearing her karate _gi_ and a too-happy smile on her face. "What's wrong, Shinichi? You look like you're about to be killed," she said lightly, laughing.

_Heh heh...that wasn't funny either._

"Let's just get this over with, and fast, okay?" He adjusted the Velcro straps that held the helmet on. "What first?"

"_Kumite—_that's sparring—requires a lot of footwork," she replied. "It's slightly similar what you do in soccer, so you'll have no problem."

_Yet, _he noticed she'd neglected to add.

"Okay, let's begin by practicing our shouts."

"Shouts?"

"They make your attack more effective. Plus they can be used to distract your opponent."

"Distract? Oh, you mean like—'Hey, look! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Kaitou KID!'"

"Very funny," Ran punched him on his padded arm. "Here we just stick to 'Kee-yah'. Okay? Take a deep breath...hold it...and let it all out in one shout."

Shinichi obeyed. Breathe...in...out. "Aah."

"Not 'ah'. 'Kee-YAH'"

He rolled his eyes. Breathe...in...out. "AAH!"

"_Kee-YAH! _Do I have to spell it out for you?! K-e-e-hyphen-y-a—"

"Okay, okay. 'Kee-YAH'. There. Happy?"

"Yes, I am. Because now we start sparring."

Shinichi paled. "Wait, I think I need to practice my shout some more—"

_Bam!_

Without warning, Ran's foot connected with his chest, knocking him to the floor, stunned.

"Whoa! Sorry, Shinichi! Did that hurt?"

"Evidently," he muttered, groaning and rolling over. All the wind had been knocked out of him with that single kick. _Who knew she was that strong? _"Aughh...what was that for?"

She appeared to be hiding a grin as she got him to his feet. "I'm just trying to teach you to be prepared. Just to give you a taste of karate."

"I'm not sure it's an acquired taste of mine," he said crossly.

"Sorry. Okay, the real thing this time. First we bow." Ran demonstrated slowly, gesturing to him to do the same. "Then put your fists up like this. Got it?"

"I...think so..." Shinichi blinked._ Please, God...I have no desire to be slain at this moment..._

"Good. Just try to move, okay, and block my kicks with your fists. I'll kick you less hard this time. Ready, set..."

"Wait! I just remembered I _really _need to go to the—"

"_Kee-yah!"_

_Bam!_

"—bath...room."

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" Ran bent over him, scanning for injuries.

"That...was not...any less painful," he panted, clutching at his chest. He would not be getting used to this any time soon. "Augghhh...Ran, that _hurt."_

"I know...I'm sorry." Her face, indeed, looked truly apologetic as she helped him up. "But you're not blocking."

"You don't give me enough time to! How am I supposed to block when you do _that?" _He flailed his arms and legs in an imitation of Ran's attacking him.

"Fine, then don't block. Just let me hit you."

"Oh, great. Shinichi Kudo, the human punching bag. I thought they'd _abolished _the death penalty."

"I won't hit hard this time, I promise."

"That's very reassuring, considering what you just did."

"Just _one little kick, _that's all. Okay?"

"No way! I quit. Those first two hurt enough. I am _not_ undergoing any more pain than I have already."

Ran tilted her head to one side. Her eyes lowered slightly, arms folded.

He knew what was coming next. There was no way to avoid it...

"Please?" she begged, looking for all the world like the most adorable sad puppy. "I promise, after this I will _never_ ask it of you again. _Please? _For me?"

Shinichi tried not to meet her gaze, but somehow the intensity of it drew his stare back to her innocent face. He was prone to these looks of hers, and she knew it.

_Don't. Give. In. Nooooo..._

"Fine."

"Yes! Thank you!" Ran gave him a quick hug, (prompting his blushing which she apparently was unaware of).

"On one condition," Shinichi said in that self-centered way of his as she let go. "That you lay off the face. 'Cause you will have my fan-clubs to answer to if you don't."

"Nah, don't worry. By the time I'm through with you, you'll still have the same gorgeous big head you do." For some reason, her face looked a little flushed as she said this. Or maybe it was just the anticipation of being able to rearrange his features...

"Ready?"

"No."

"One..."

He raised his eyes to the ceiling. _Mom, Dad, I just want to let you know that I love you all very much..._

"Two..."

_And I'm sorry for unleashing the press on you that time, Dad...and for accidentally killing Mom's gardenias with my soccer ball..._

"Three!"

_Aauugghh-Ran-please-don't-kill-me-I'm-too-young-to-die-I'm-not-even-a-high-school-graduate-yet-I-want-to-be-able-to-live-long-enough-to-tell-you-that-I—_

Bam!

_...like...you. I think._

Shinichi was beginning to think that maybe he shouldn't have agreed to this in the first place, as he was getting countless bruises and feeling as though a bomb attached to his chest was repeatedly blasting him to kingdom come. But he _had_ promised her, and if he quit now, Ran would beat him up anyway.

_Without_ the armor.

"I thought they teach you to pull your hits in karate," Shinichi said, somewhat grumpily, as he stood shakily.

Ran looked sheepish. "Yeah, they do."

"But...?"

"But I wanted to get some _real _training in for once. So if I ever have to fight someone in real life, then I'll know how it feels."

_Well, thank you, Ran, for beating me up as practice for beating someone else up, which will probably be me as well._

Shinichi shot her a "hey-you-lied-to-me-on-top-of-almost-murdering-me" glare. "Raaan..."

"_What? _Okay, I'm sorry...but I thought you would be able to take my hits!" Ran laughed. "Obviously I was wrong..."

He resented being laughed at, being black-and-blue even before breakfast.

After being karate-chopped, given the old one-two, half-strangled, front-kicked, side-kicked, back-kicked, diagonal-kicked and every other direction of kicked that existed, Shinichi had taken to ducking pathetically every time his opponent so much as turned her head.

"Look, just close your eyes, brace yourself, and pretend you don't feel anything!" she cried finally, throwing her hands in the air exasperatedly. "I need to be able to kick you once without having to scrape you off the floor afterwards!" Then she looked a little more sympathetic. "Did that last one hurt much?"

"Doe, it's...okay...the helbet cushiod by...braid," his reply came out, as he was attempting to staunch the diminishing flow of blood from his nose.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want to damage your genius mind. Shinichi, are you _sure _you want to continue with this? Because you don't seem very up to it..."

"No way," Shinichi stated firmly, trying not to show just how _not_ up to it he was. Despite the fact that all that pain was, in fact, painful (what a surprise), he was _not_ having Ran think he was a wimp. "Let's try that again." Then, hoping he hadn't sounded too eager to continue, he added, "One_ last_ time. The two hours is almost up."

Ran beamed at him while patting his sore arm. "Well, if you're sure."

"Sure." Shinichi quickly sang the little 'I-will-survive-I-will-survive-although-I-won't-be-able-to-look-in-a-mirror-for-some-time-afterwards-I-know-I'll-stay-alive' song that he had resorted to in his mind, then held his breath to try to keep himself erect with the knowledge that in a few seconds four hundred-something pounds' worth of leg power would be colliding with his torso.

But it didn't quite happen that way.

For reasons that probably no-one will ever find out, it was at the exact moment Ran lunged forward to kick that Shinichi tripped over some nonexistent wire, causing him to tumble backwards and Ran to topple forward. All he knew was that one moment, he was up and breathing, and the next, on the floor with all the oxygen crushed out of his lungs.

Which was most likely due to the fact that Ran was directly on top of him.

His first reaction was, naturally, to blush, because who wouldn't in that position? Then he realized that for the obvious reason, his heartbeat was pounding at the speed of a rabbit's. And _then _he realized that Ran's face, which was currently located a mere few inches above his own, was _also _blushing bright pink, and (someone kill him now) that he could actually feel _her _heartbeat echoing in his own chest.

Which, he realized a few seconds later, was a very awkward situation to be in.

They stayed like that for a while longer; each wondering if the other was thinking similar thoughts that were flitting crazily like happy butterflies through their minds. Each moment passed by slowly, giving them time to reflect on every breath they took and every time their eyes met.

At long last (and to Shinichi's similar-to-disappointment) Ran came back to her senses enough to roll off of him, and fast. None of them could quite look at each other after that, and they busied themselves instead with such important things as brushing off their clothes and clearing their throats.

Surprisingly, it was Ran who spoke first, her voice showing no trace of emotion. "Well...uhm...I think I've practiced enough for today. How about getting breakfast?"

"Yeah," Shinichi somehow managed to reply. Maybe they could just act like it had never happened..."Man, I'm starving." He turned away, rubbing his numerous bruises, and pulled the guards and helmet off; for some reason, setting off Ran's hysterical giggling.

"Pphhbbb...hah...heh..."

"What?"

"...Hat hair!" she spluttered. "I mean...helmet hair..." She fell to her knees laughing like a maniac. "Oh God, you look like such a dork!"

Shinichi reached up to check, and sure enough, his hair was damply plastered to his head, except for that one piece in the back that never failed to stick out. _Greeeaaat..._

Oblivious to his distress, Ran just kept on laughing. And laughing. And _laughing..._

Shinichi couldn't hold it in any longer. He burst out laughing too, collapsing weakly to the dojo floor for what he hoped would be the last time that day. His sides ached like heck (as did everything else), and they were starting to sound like a pair of drunken hyenas, but who cared? They were having a hysterically good time chortling over goodness only knows what, and enjoying it to the fullest.

After what seemed like light-years, the chuckles died down; the smiles, however, remained on their faces.

"Geez...that must've made us look like total idiots," muttered Shinichi, rubbing his forehead and attempting to get to his feet.

Ran grinned mischievously. "Then we should look like total idiots more often. Oh wait, that's already your full-time job. My mistake."

"Heyyy..." Shinichi, being much too worn out to come up with a snappy comeback, still mustered the strength to give his friend a mock-angry smack on the shoulder.

They got their things together without another word, but the silence was not by any means an uncomfortable one. It was friendlier, more convivial, more _I-feel-terrific-now-we-just-spent-hours-laughing-like-the-good-maybe-more-than-friends-we-are. _

"Who's paying for breakfast today?" Ran asked as they walked out of the dojo. It was unusually sunny for that time of year, which complemented the mood perfectly. "Thing is, I'm a little broke..."

"Fine, I will," Shinichi agreed, although he probably wouldn't have had he still been annoyed at her. Right now, though, he wasn't feeling even remotely annoyed at her. "But don't think you don't owe me. I'm just doing it 'cause I feel like it."

"Like happy you're still alive?"

"Yeah." He grinned. "Speaking of which, I was wondering...why did you laugh so much back there?"

Ran looked embarrassed. "I don't know...maybe I was just glad we were together again. You've been gone for a heck of a long time, you know...I was just glad to see things were still the same way they used to be between us."

_Are they? _Shinichi thought doubtfully, but decided not to mention what he was thinking just yet.

"Sorry our outing had to be troublesome for you though, Shinichi," said Ran lightly. "You'll probably wake up tomorrow morning aching and sore, and then you'll hate me."

Shinichi winced. _Aching? Sore? Are you kidding? Try agony. Try excruciating. Try bone-breaking, tormenting suffering in my every waking moment that hurts way more than getting shrunk._

_But no, I won't hate you._

"Hey Ran?"

"Yeah?"

"Just promise me one thing."

"Okay..."

"Next time..."

Shinichi smirked, something he did quite often, and which Ran never took as a good sign.

"...next time, we're playing soccer."

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_-(Insert raucous laughter here)-_

_Oh, I had fun! This was great to write...and brings back memories of my good ol' days...killing innocent little kids during training...yeah, it was awesome. This goes to my friends who recently became black belts (one of whom is lurking about on this site somewhere), although they probably won't care because they don't watch DC. So I'll just dedicate it to my cousin who so willingly gave himself up to be used as a six-foot dummy for me to kick around. XD_

Ran: Next BlackMailer's hint, to be done by Ran Mouri!

BlackMailer: Praise the Lord! No more Genta!

Genta: (glares)

Ran: 'Doesn't he love me anymore?'

BlackMailer: Who, Shinichi?

Ran, Shinichi: (cough cough)


	4. Before the Dawn

**Tsugi Tsugi To!**

_What this next chapter is about is one of __the__ most ignored relationships in the entire series. From what I've noticed, barely anyone acknowledges it...so I decided to try my hand at writing one for it._

_Dear xybolic, I am so sorry for keeping you waiting...but I tried to follow your phrase as best I could, so this one goes out to you! It's probably not what you expected, but yeah anyway...and where are you anyway? Please talk to me!_

_Hello to you too, dearest Ayumi-chan. I'm watching you...so if you start crying, I'll know. XD Just kidding. Hope you like this one, and sorry I kept you waiting. _

_Disclaimer: DCme no ownie._

**Before the Dawn**

**Random Phrase, Courtesy of xybolic: You alone. Alone you. Leave me alone.**

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5:35 p.m.

The pale sky above the setting orange sun in Beika was growing dimmer, fading slowly into deep purple. Streetlamps were flickering to life, and the chatter of the daytime was gradually replaced by the few frozen moments of silence before the sounds of nightlife came to be.

On one street, the sidewalk was littered with the remains of crushed amber leaves. The chilly breaths of the wind sent them scuttling away as the headlights of passing cars cast their dancing shadows upon the ground. Scuffing steadily through the leaf piles, dragging a book bag behind her, a young woman was walking home.

Glittering sparks of sunlight illuminated her long, dark hair, flashing reflections in her sapphire eyes alight with fury. Despite her normally energetic personality, today she was tired beyond belief; the dark circles under her eyes and sagging shoulders indicated her lack of rest, and the fact that she had come from a hard day at school and rigorous activities added to her exhaustion. She'd consented to some medication at the school clinic, but the effects hadn't kicked in yet.

Her thoughts were a void. The heated anger boiling inside her took over; she was just too exhausted to deal with it at the moment, and most of it was due to just one person.

Her father.

For starters, she had woken up that morning to find Kogoro asleep on the sofa, all his trash and dirty laundry scattered around the room. Not unusual; her dad was known to be a real slob. She'd had to clean everything up for him, finding next that he hadn't bothered to stop by the grocery to buy food like she'd asked. Then she tried to wake him to go to work until she realized he was hung-over.

Again.

Ran hated it when her father drank. She had tried to stop him before, but her father was impossibly stubborn as well. She could never really _talk_ to him, never tell him anything.

Her own father, who had always been so caring and jolly. Her father, who had taken the time off from his job to take the family out for dinner; her father who had hugged her and tucked her in every night.

She'd look at him now. And she couldn't believe this was the same person.

_If only Mom were here..._

But that was one thought she _could_ shake out of her mind.

Climbing the flights of stairs as she did every day, she had to pull herself listlessly up by the handrail. She let herself in the apartment door, dropping her things absentmindedly on the first chair she saw.

Despite her weariness, she didn't stop checking to see if everything was in order. Her first thought was that the apartment was empty, but she remembered groggily that the others had gone out for dinner. Moaning inwardly as she saw the usual stack of junk cluttering the office, she swept it up without a word.

Her eyelids were drooping, her breaths prolonged and heavy. The room was spinning before her half-closed eyes. Seeing the nearest place of comfort—the sofa—she numbly fell onto it and into the dark comfort of slumber.

Outside, the sun was setting.

12:51 p.m.

The glitter and glow of the evening's events remained in Kogoro Mouri's spirits as he went up the stairs of the apartment, cheerfully humming a song that had been playing at the party. He had thoroughly enjoyed himself that night, he mused as he reached for his keys to unlock the door. And now he was looking forward to the rest of the time (Conan-free, since the kid was at Agasa's) watching TV on the living room sofa.

The lock clicked open, and he entered to find the rooms in darkness. Still humming, he reached for the light switch and was about to seat himself on the couch, when he noticed someone was already on it, sleeping peacefully.

"Ran," he muttered in annoyance. "What's your bed for, anyway?"

Appearing not to have heard, Ran remained lying still, her head resting on the cushion. In the light, Kogoro could suddenly see her face was unusually flushed. Carefully so as not to wake her, he put a hand to her forehead. Burning.

"Oh, a fever..." he said quietly, and frowned. Ran rarely got sick, and to tell the truth, he wasn't sure how to handle it. He'd never considered himself good at the whole child-care thing. But he still had to do something—she was practically on fire—so he went to the kitchen for a damp towel to put on her head. As he did, he glanced towards the desk and noticed that despite Ran's condition, she'd still taken the time to clean up.

When Kogoro returned, he pulled up a chair for himself and laid the towel over her hair, which was wet from perspiration. Calmly he brushed it back from her face, and gave a start when Ran tensed. "Wha..." she croaked, trying to prop herself up and squint up at him.

"Sorry," he sighed, lowering her back onto the sofa. "No, just get to sleep. You're sick."

"No..." breathed Ran in a slurred voice, "no...I'm n' sick..." Then her eyes fluttered closed, and her breathing grew steady once more.

A cough escaped her throat as she shivered and drew her knees up to her chest. "Oh, so you're cold now." Kogoro grumbled, shuffling to the closet for a thick blanket and draping it over his daughter, tucking her in securely like he used to when she was little.

Doing this now reminded him too much of the pain he'd experienced in the past. He could still remember the time when Eri had first left them...Ran had still been very young.

Eri was leaving, she'd said, because she was tired of fighting with him. There were many things they hadn't settled between them, and she'd hated to hurt Ran because of it. She loved her daughter, and that was why she'd left.

Ran's heart had broken upon seeing her mother go, and Kogoro was only sorry he couldn't bring her back. She had had nightmares every night, crying and waking him up, and wouldn't go to bed unless he sat, watching her until she fell asleep again. Then he'd lain down beside her, staring out into the night until the morning came.

Like two lost souls, clinging to each other in the darkness.

_No,_ he told himself firmly. _Now's not the time to think about that..._

As if in a trance, Kogoro began wandering around the apartment, not so sure what to do with himself. He started putting his things away, and tossed out the garbage, but never once leaving the living room.

1:24 a.m.

_Thirteen years ago._

_Ran was four, and her parents were taking her to the beach for the day. The sun and the breeze tumbled over each other in the clear blue sky, the ocean rippling and clear._

"_Look at me, Mommy!" Ran shrieked with laughter as Kogoro picked her up and swung her around and around in the air. Whooping, both of them splashed down into the water. _

_Kogoro scooped his daughter up again and carried her to their beach blanket, where Eri was sitting with towels to dry. Ran bounced into her mother's lap, pulling her father down beside her and hugging them both, looking up at them with shining eyes._

_Both parents leaned over to hug her back, and their eyes met over Ran's head. They were smiling at each other too, knowing that they couldn't have asked for anything more in the world..._

_Ten years ago._

_That sunny morning, seven-year-old Ran was sitting at the kitchen table, having breakfast with her father. They'd been on their own for a week now, Kogoro noted dully as he stared into his cereal bowl. _

No. Don't think about that. Don't think about anything...

"_Daddy..." a tentative voice asked._

"_Hm?" He didn't bother to look up._

"_Where's Mommy?"_

_Kogoro poked at his cold breakfast. "Hm?"_

"_Mommy!" whined Ran. "You said Mommy was coming back soon! Where is she?"_

"_I don't know," he mumbled without thinking. "Soon. She's coming..."_

"_But Daddy," Ran said with a tear in her voice, "you said she would be coming home soon...I want her back."_

_Kogoro closed his eyes, trying to ignore it. That nagging ache in his heart..._

Don't think about it...

"_You promised, Daddy," Ran whispered, tugging at his sleeve. "Daddy—"_

_Suddenly he lost control, and let all the emotions he'd tried to lock up break out of their cage. "Damn it, Ran, I don't know!" he yelled at her, slamming his fist down onto the table. "I don't know and I don't _care._ She doesn't want to come back; I don't _want_ her to come back." _

_A mug crashed off the edge of the table, sending shards of broken ceramic spinning across the floor. Ran was cringing in horror, tears running down her face._

"_Don't you get it? She's not coming back, _ever! _I'm glad! I hope she rots in hell! Now will you just leave me _alone!"

_Kogoro was shaking, breathing hard now, stone-cold gaze fixed on his sobbing daughter._

_Ran lifted her head then, and the look she gave him was something that would haunt him in his nightmares; filled with so much sadness and hurt that he staggered back._

_Her hard voice came like a gunshot; sudden, unmerciful, ripping through his whole body._

"_I hate you."_

_Then she was gone, running out of the room._

_Kogoro slumped back into his chair. Everything was reeling; the room, his thoughts. Ran's words played over and over in his head, like a broken record tormenting him; his heartbeat driving every word deeper and deeper into his mind._

I hate you.

I hate you.

I hate you...

_He started drinking that night._

_He's been drinking ever since._

1:43 a.m.

The phone rang, shattering the silence. Shaking his head to rid himself of the reminiscence, Kogoro answered before it could wake Ran up.

"Ahem...Mouri Detective Agency," he said in a hushed tone.

Inspector Megure replied, "Ah, Mouri. Sorry to disturb you so early, but something rather urgent came up. You see, there's been a murder at the Beika Hotel and we were wondering if you could come and help us out..."

It was tempting, admittedly. Another chance for the Great Detective Kogoro Mouri to shine. But...

Kogoro took a glance over at the sofa. Ran stirred in her sleep, pulling the blanket tighter around her. "Sorry, Inspector," he apologized, turning back to the phone, "but something urgent came up at home too. Maybe you could just get someone else on it today?"

"Well, okay. See you soon then."

"Mm-hm."

_Click._

The window had caught Kogoro's gaze, and he moved towards it now, resting his palms on the windowsill. He looked out into the bleak, dark nothingness; a reflection of what he was feeling inside. A darkness with no light to comfort, to help him find his way.

Times had been hard on the both of them, and they still were. But the damage had already been done, and their family was broken beyond repair. However, Kogoro wasn't so sure Ran understood that. Eri barely spoke to them anymore, and yet Ran was forever trying to set up dates for the two of them in the hopes that they would get back together.

Kogoro, with all his pride, would probably never admit it, but he missed Eri maybe even more than Ran did. He'd been hurt too, deeper than he showed. Sometimes he did wish she'd come back, not only for his sake, but for Ran's; she needed a mother to raise and nurture her, not someone who was forced to drag her around looking at dead people.

He couldn't explain either, exactly, why he acted the way he did. Going to bars nightly had become a habit, and was mainly to make him forget; to shut out everything bad that had happened to them and focus only on what he thought was good. Finding other women was just something he did, maybe, to try to find something to make up for the relationship he'd lost.

Nothing could do that now, he thought bitterly.

No-one could ever replace Eri.

2:01 a.m.

_Seven years ago._

_Ten-year-old Ran entered the living room of the apartment, getting her things together for school. "Dad?" she addressed the man who was lying at his desk. _

"_Hm?" Kogoro looked up from his latest case file, a frown on his face._

"_Um..." Ran fidgeted uncomfortably. "You know Mothers' Day is today...and...we're supposed to invite our moms to school to celebrate, and to tell the class about them.."_

_Kogoro's expression softened in mortification. There was an uncomfortable silence. "Oh," he said awkwardly. "Well. Do you think _I_ could go instead?" he spoke jauntily now, trying in vain to cheer her._

_Shaking her head, Ran dropped her gaze, eyes filled with tears. "No," she murmured softly. "It's okay..." She turned away, picked her bag up, and left the house, muttering what sounded like "Stupid..." before she closed the door behind her. _

_Mothers' Day at Teitan Elementary, and alone in a bathroom stall, a young girl was crying. Even if she knew it was her turn to speak, she was not missed._

_Because she had no one. Not her mother, not her father..._

_No one. _

2:49 a.m.

Kogoro headed back to the kitchen for some coffee to keep him up, and continued to sit in the chair to watch over Ran. Her fever didn't seem to be improving, and something was stopping him from getting up to go to sleep himself.

His eyes locked onto her sleeping face then, and a mental image of her as a carefree child flashed before him. Her soft brown hair, her rosy features, and those stunning deep blue eyes...He admired her gentle beauty, acquired over the years. She had grown so much in the past...and had he ever stopped to notice it?

_She's a young woman now,_ Kogoro thought, _beautiful...like her mother._ Sometimes before, he'd looked at her and thought, _This is the only good thing that came out of our lives together, Eri's and mine. _Now he'd almost forgotten that.

The way the two of them acted now, it was like they barely cared for each other anymore. In his depression, he'd always been telling her to let him be, and in turn he'd left her alone, maybe even when she'd needed him the most. Did he really care about his pay, his reputation, _Yoko Okino_...more than his own _daughter?_

When she'd won the inter-prefecture karate competition, he hadn't been cheering her on in the audience. When she'd cried herself to sleep countless nights in her childhood, he hadn't known how to comfort her when he'd been feeling sorry for only himself. Fights, broken promises, had never been forgiven.

And still, he wondered, and still she didn't complain when making his dinner, or cleaning up his garbage. How could she have done so much for him?

Out of love, reflected Kogoro.

Despite everything, she still loved him.

The one light in his darkness...

"Ran?" he spoke then, in a whisper even he could barely hear, and reached out to lightly stroke her hair. "I know you can't hear me...but it's kind of hard to get you this silent when you're awake for me to talk to you. And anyway, I'm not very good at this. So..." He exhaled slowly.

"I know you get mad at me most of the time. I probably deserve it though." He chuckled softly. "And I know that you miss your mom. You're trying to fill in for her now in the family, always fixing everything up for us...

"I know you try so hard. And that I haven't been trying hard enough. But it's difficult for me too, you know? I can't seem to control what I'm doing or where my life is going. I miss her too...and I guess I haven't gotten over it yet.

"I guess it's my fault she left. But maybe it's just one of those things that just happens. We can't change it now, and we'll just have to get through it together.

"Whatever I said or did to you to hurt you in the past, I hope you know...I'm sorry. Somehow I just can't say that to your face. There're a lot of things I don't know how to say to you. And I'm sorry I haven't told you this in such a long time."

Kogoro bent over his sleeping daughter and gently kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Ran."

She snuggled deeper into the warmth of the blanket, dreaming on peacefully, and a small smile formed on her lips. Smiling too, Kogoro turned off the light.

_Seventeen years ago._

_Kogoro was nervously pacing the hallway. Though it wasn't even six in the morning yet, he was wide awake. He couldn't think straight, couldn't see straight...just kept wandering back and forth. Everything was jumbled up inside; dread, anxiety, anticipation. _

"_Mr. Mouri?" Someone touched his shoulder. It was a nurse. "She—she wants to see you."_

"_Is it—" His voice broke off as she shook her head. Wordlessly, he let the nurse lead him back into the room, pushing past to get to her. _

_Eri's face was pale, her breaths short and labored. "Kogoro..." she murmured, closing her eyes as he reached her side. He was horrified to hear her scream as another spasm of pain wracked her body._

"_It's okay," was all he managed to choke out as she gripped his hand tightly. His heart was threatening to drill out of his chest. "We'll be fine." _You'll be fine _was what he wanted to say, but he realized he was just as scared as she was. _

_They held on to each other, not saying anything. Just being there together was enough, sharing in the pain and the fear and the waiting..._

_And then it was all over._

"_Oh, God..." Kogoro saw all the emotions—relief, joy, tears—push through to the surface as Eri saw her. "Kogoro...she's perfect."_

_He felt his own knees grow weak and his heart cease to beat as he looked upon his little miracle—his daughter. Their beautiful baby girl._

_"Ran..."_

_Yawning and blinking in wonder at her parents for the first time, newborn Ran Mouri reached out with two hands to touch their faces. They gazed upon each other, smiling with all the tenderness in the world._

_And the three of them, bonded by hope, by happiness, by love, watched the sun rise._

6:38 a.m.

Ran awoke to the soothing warmth of the rising sun, wrapped around her as if driving away the darkness. Slowly she sat up from the couch, rubbing her forehead. She didn't feel sick anymore; even the headache had not lingered. Everything seemed to have gone away in the night.

In the night...

A small frown creased her brow. "I remember..." Blurry images swam before her as she tried to recall. She'd felt a cool touch to her head, heard a familiar gruff voice...

Ran turned and peered at her father's desk. Kogoro was sprawled onto it, snoring as usual. Rolling her eyes, she knew that he'd stayed out all night again, and decided to let him sleep it off.

As she leaned back on the sofa, curling up and watching the sun break through the early morning, she supposed it had all just been part of a hazy dream. Taking a breath, Ran leaned back, letting the soft glow of the dawn surround her. Then her eyes snapped open, and she looked down at the sofa cushions in puzzlement, realizing what was _really _keeping her so warm.

That blanket hadn't been there _before_ she'd gone to sleep...

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_I usually tend to focus more on Kogoro's negative side, probably because that's normally all I see. But I forget that he's a father, too—and an ex-husband—and so he feels pain and sadness, and cares for his family like anyone else would. _

_Hope you liked it; I'm not very good at details in here as I do _not_ know what a guy would be thinking as his wife's in labor. Heck, I do not know what a guy would be thinking, _period. _'Cause there ain't nothin' but X chromosome over here. _X3

_Oh, yes, and also, I've recently created a forum for all ya die-hard "Detective Cofans" out there; you can access it from my profile, it's called the Beika Street Irregulars. :D Please do join, I really appreciate it._

_Thank you guys, Rani (you're Rani07 now, right?) and Animefangirl2007! Could I ask you both for phrases now? It might take a while for me to write them, but you can trust me, I WILL write them no matter how long it takes. Thanks again!_

Genta: NEXT BLACKMAILER'S HINT!

BlackMailer: Can't I get rid of you?! Your voice sounds like a chipmunk escaped from the mental institute.

Conan: 'Art class!'

BlackMailer: And your voice sounds like a girl's! Oh...wait...your voice _is_ a girl's.


	5. Deja vu

**Tsugi Tsugi To!**

_I know I'm not the best writer in the world or anything, but…zero reviews for chapter 4? Did I do something wrong?_

_Anyway, because of that, I've decided I won't update unless I get at least four reviews for the latest chapter._

_(Yawn)...It's about past my bedtime, but I'm writing this anyway. I just got the idea and thought it was good for a one-shot chap. It's the shortest one I ever made—half a page!—which is a surprise since my one-shots are really normally eight pages long. (shrugs)_

_Disclaimer: DC, me no ownie._

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**Déjà vu**

**Random Phrase: Shrinky Dink**

Ran wasn't exactly the artistic type; that Shinichi knew for sure. Although art classes were a requirement in school, this girl was _not_ by any means eager to start. She hated to sew, hated even more to knit, and her paintings looked either like kindergarten masterpieces or very, very deep works of abstract. She could mess up a _Popsicle stick sculpture_, for heavens' sake.

So it came as a surprise when Conan returned home from school one day to find Ran dragging assorted art materials out of the deepest darkest depths of the living-room cabinet.

"I'm ho—Ran-neechan, what are you doing?

"Looking for some permanent markers," she replied, voice muffled by the towering stack of books she held in her arms.

"What for?" Conan dropped his backpack and relieved her of some of her load.

"Thanks—art project for school. Oh, here it is!" Ran swept a dust bunny off a box of markers, standing up and carrying her things to the table.

"Oh. Okay, I'll go study for that Math test then..."

Like a high-school student really needed to study for an elementary test...But nevertheless, he decided to leave Ran be.

Trapped in his room, however, with no other forms of entertainment save a Kamen Yaiba rerun on TV, Conan's curiosity got the better of him. He edged back into the living-room, crouching behind Ran's chair to get a better look.

She was drawing and coloring something on what appeared to be a sheet of plastic. Upon closer inspection, he found that she was drawing pictures of family members and friends. There was Eri; Sonoko with her shopping bags; and even a little crazily dancing Kogoro.

Conan blinked. _And that one is—_

Ran was drawing Shinichi. He was wearing his trademark suit and even had a magnifying glass in hand.

_Now what's she doing this fo—_augh!

Ran gasped as she'd spun around and hit Conan on the head. "Oh, sorry—don't sneak up on me like that!" She glanced at what she'd been doing and then turned back to him. "It's kind of embarrassing."

Conan put all his first-grader innocence into his smile. "It's okay. I won't laugh, I promise."

"I...well, okay." She grinned sheepishly. "We had to do a family-themed project. But I don't have enough family members, so I included some friends. I know, my drawings are terrible, okay?"

Conan hopped onto a chair to observe. "No, I think they're fine. _Except Shinichi, _he thought. _She's made my head look too big. I hope no one takes that literally... _"What's that you're using?"

"Shrink film. When you cut these out and put them in the oven, they turn smaller and hard. I was thinking of attaching them to a charm bracelet, or something." Ran slid her work onto a cookie sheet and into the oven.

"Oh. Cool!" They watched as Ran's drawings, stimulated by the heat, curled up into little plastic slivers, shrank and uncurled again.

Ran pulled the tray out of the oven and left it to cool, bending over it to inspect. When she finished, she was frowning slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just..." Ran picked up one of the finished products and turned it over in her hand. "This was supposed to be Shinichi. But look." She handed it to Conan, who did a double take.

It looked exactly like Conan.

"I don't get it...maybe my drawing was out of proportion or something." Ran smiled. "But it's good for you, isn't it? Yeah, maybe I'll use this one instead." Humming as she put the materials away, she left Conan sitting at the table, pondering and staring off into space.

_Talk about déjà vu..._

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_Yay, now ish time for mee to hit da hay. Nighty-night. (snore snore)_

Genta: NEXT BLACKMAILER'S HINT!

BlackMailer: (wakes up) WAAUGH! NO, GIN, DON'T HURT POOH BEAR! HE DIDN'T MEAN TO STEAL YOUR CAR—(sees everyone staring weirdly at her) Oh...right.

Conan: _Shinjitsu wa itsumo hitotsu!_

BlackMailer: Conan, it's not time for your catchphrase now! It's hint time!

Conan: No, that _was_ the hint.

BlackMailer: Oh. Well, how very original of you.


	6. To Set You Free

**Tsugi Tsugi To!**

_**July 7, 2007 – 77**__**th**__** Death Anniversary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle**_

_To the people who reviewed Chapter 5…thank you so much! I'm really sorry, but I was just feeling a little down since I hadn't been hearing from you guys. Thank you for reviewing again, and hope you like this one. (But I'm still following the no-review, no-update rule. And now that I have school I probably won't be updating again for a while. I'm sorry!)_

_**Animefangirl2007: **__Thanks a lot! Do you think you could contribute a phrase? _

_Pretty please? I'll take anything you're willing to give!_

_**Rani07: **__Muchas gracias! I love, love, LOVE your fics!! _

_**Ranma**__**151773012: **__Thanks so much for another thought-provoking review!!_

_Disclaimer:__ DC, me no ownie. I'm not Gosho Aoyama, just a weird little kid with dreams of stealing his brain and eatin' some lemon pie._

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**To Set You Free**

**Random Phrase: the truth shall set you free**

**Random Word Courtesy of Danielle: banana**

_You know, most of the time, I act like I don't even notice it._

_It's kind of a crazy, stupid idea anyway. Nobody would believe it if I told them._

_But the facts are always there. _

_Unfailingly present, everywhere I turn, everything I do. _

_And I am determined to get to the bottom of it all._

I know you must be thinking that being the daughter of a private detective, and having all my family friends as detectives and police officers as well, I'm sick of mysteries. You could be right. I _do _get pretty fed up with crimes.

But the case (I guess you could call it that) I'm on is different. And I will not rest until I solve it.

No science involved; no forensics or estimating times of death. No magnifying glasses and fingerprints and one-arm-over-the-back throws.

Only the clues; small things said in a casual conversation, subtle hints, actions done out of habit. The careful trailing of the suspect; watching every move, taking note of every step. Occasionally an accusation, if the evidence is sufficient and if I'm lucky.

But the suspect cleverly escapes, leaving me in shadow once again.

Always.

But not this time.

This time, the truth will set me free.

_Wednesday, 4:39 p.m. _

I walked into the apartment that afternoon, dropping my knapsack on a chair only to find that I'd dropped it onto a pile of empty beer cans. Groaning, I cleared everything out and went to the kitchen for a snack.

"I'm home," I called, pulling out a jar of peanut butter, two bananas and a loaf of bread.

"Welcome home, Ran-neechan," came the standard reply from the hallway.

"Want a snack? I'm making sandwiches."

"Sure." The pattering of slippered seven-year-old feet reached my ears as I was taking down the plates.

Conan entered, still in his school clothes, stretching and giving a yawn. He grinned when he saw the food laid out. "Great! Bananas and peanut butter. I'm starving."

"What've you been doing?" I unscrewed the jar with one hand and rumpled his hair with the other. "Video games again?"

"Nope." He slid onto a chair, pulling a plate towards him. "Reading. I stopped by the library this afternoon because they had some new books."

I chuckled. "You're the only seven-year-old I know who reads something other than manga. What is it?"

"Um, Uncle Yusaku's latest novel—_Flame of Revenge._"

That was my cue.

I looked up slowly.

"Really?" I put an interested look on my face as I spread peanut butter. "You like reading a lot of mystery novels, don't you?"

"Y-yeah..." Worry was beginning to show on his face. I think he knew where this was about to be headed.

"Why is that, exactly? I mean, those books are clearly above your reading level." I attempted to keep my voice level, even. But maybe I was trying too hard to sound friendly and casual, and he'd realized his mistake, because he started trying to defend himself.

"Oh, I don't understand all of it," he said simply. "I only read the parts I get. Most of it's pretty confusing. Usually I ask Dr. Agasa to help me with the big words and stuff."

It was a good enough excuse, and I sliced a sandwich in silence to give myself time to think of something to say. I looked down and realized I had been spreading the same piece of bread over and over.

"You know, Shinichi really loves reading those novels too," I told him, my back turned as I rummaged through the fridge for a nonexistent carton of milk. I settled for the apple juice instead and closed the fridge door. "Especially Holmes. Just like you."

"Well, that's because I—I mean, my dad likes Holmes a lot. I probably got it from him," Conan explained quickly. Not as good an excuse, which I took as a signal that I was making progress.

"It's funny, isn't it?" I cut the crusts off the sandwich and slid it across the table. "How…_alike_…you and Shinichi are. I mean," I gave a little laugh then, "you're interested in exactly the same things; you both like soccer and mysteries and everything. You even look like he did when he was younger. It's funny…" I took a slow bite of my sandwich, pausing to see what he would try next.

But he made no move to deny anything this time. Instead he exclaimed, with all the innocence expected of a child his age, "You really think so? I really look up to Shinichi-niisan. I want to be just like him when I grow up!" Then, with a smile on his face that presented a somewhat relieved expression, he resumed eating his snack.

_Touché._

I couldn't pursue the topic, not after that. It would have made me sound too suspicious of him. And I wanted to unravel this one quietly, subtly; so that if I was wrong, that would just be the end of it.

But there was still something there that made me decide to keep on going. Something that told me I was on the right track.

And if it was true; if somehow, with all its impossibility, Edogawa Conan really did turn out to be…

_Shinichi…_

I wasn't going to keep on playing his little game of hide-and-seek.

He couldn't hide forever.

And sooner or later, I _was_ going to find him.

_Friday, 10:05 a.m._

"Wow!" squealed Ayumi from the backseat. "The beach is so pretty today!"

I looked back from my front seat, grinning. School was out for the day due to a parent-teacher conference, and the Detective Boys had wanted to go celebrate with a seaside party. So after a lot of packing, dressing, repacking, and hunting for food, we were in the car and on our way.

"Weather's good today," I commented, squinting out the window at the sky. "Perfect for swimming; that's what you want to do first, right?"

"Of course! What else is a beach for?" Genta said. I noticed Mitsuhiko was a little green, though, and decided not to mention any swimming-related words just then.

Mrs. Kojima parked and everyone scrambled out excitedly, except for Conan, who hopped out calmly and collected his beach bag from the car trunk.

"Hey, what's up? Don't you like the beach?" I asked him, tugging my own bag and the radio from the pile.

I'd thought it over and decided not to sound like I still suspected something. _Get him to warm up to me again first, and maybe something'll let slip._

"No, I do!" He nodded enthusiastically. "But my mom always used to take me, so it's not really a big deal."

"Oh, yeah? Well, come on, let's grab a spot." I pulled him towards the shade of a palm tree, where the other kids were already setting up their beach blankets. "Hey, we'd better start changing so we can swim before it gets too hot."

After everyone had gotten into their swim suits (which took a while, since Mrs. Kojima and I had to hold the blanket up for everyone) they raced down the shore. Ayumi and Genta waded right in, but Mitsuhiko hung back warily until the other two pushed him in.

"Come on, Conan-kun! The water's perfect!" Ayumi yelled.

Conan glanced up from his book (predictably, The Valley of Fear). "Do I _have _to?" he called back. But he must have caught me looking at him strangely, because then he said, "Yeah, okay! Be right there!"

While Mrs. Kojima set up our picnic blanket, I followed down to the water's edge. Sunlight was sparkling across the sand and the sea. Not too many people were around, and it did look pretty inviting. So I splashed in with the rest of them and started a water fight. The salty spray of drops was everywhere before long, and we were laughing and ducking as we aimed at each other.

As I was slapping at the water to create waves, I saw Conan out of the corner of my eye. He was playing with his friends just like any normal little kid would on a day out at the beach.

Maybe I was wrong.

"Chicken fight!" I shouted then, and hoisted Ayumi onto my shoulders, who squealed in protest.

"Yeah! Come on, Mitsuhiko!" Genta jumped onto Mitsuhiko's shoulders and immediately, there was an enormous splash.

"Get—_off_—me—genius!" Mitsuhiko spluttered from below.

Ayumi and Conan were laughing their heads off. I finally calmed everyone down enough to team them up, Mitsuhiko on both Conan's and Genta's shoulders this time, and Ayumi and I together.

"Okay. Boys against girls. Let's see who wins!" Ayumi declared.

"Yeah, boys are definitely gonna win, 'cause we're stronger than girls!" Genta pumped his fist in the air determinedly, causing Mitsuhiko to wobble on his shoulder.

Conan shook his head. "Genta, that's being gender-discriminative. I think you're not aware, but four years ago, when Ran-neechan was still a brown belt, she won the Beika karate junior championships by beating a second-dan male black belt!" He grinned at me. "Never miscalculate the capabilities of femininity. Right, Ran-neechan?"

Genta and Mitsuhiko looked worriedly at each other, then frowned at Conan as if to say "You traitor", and Ayumi just laughed at their faces, but what he'd just said surprised me.

_Never miscalculate the capabilities of femininity._

It brought me back to that competition four years ago. I'd been pitted against a high school student much bigger than I was, and at a higher level. Just before our match started, he'd tried to psych me out with derisive taunts. But Shinichi, coming over to wish me luck, had heard him and immediately fought back with his store of highfaluting vocabulary. That one line had been tossed smugly over his shoulder at the guy, who looked a little confused at being scoffed at in such an..._intelligent_ manner.

I won the match, and came home carrying a gold trophy that day. Nevertheless, I told Shinichi firmly that I would fight my own battles from then on, verbal or otherwise. He agreed, but from then on, "Never miscalculate the capabilities of femininity" was something we were forever saying.

How could he have known?

_You probably say it a lot without realizing it, _the reasonable part of me spoke up. _Conan could have heard you say it, right?_

Well, maybe, I argued back. But the way he stated it, connecting it to the competition where it had first been said; the way he looked at me just now, smiling... It was like he _knew_...like he really was...

_Splash!_

A small wave hit me full in the face, and I staggered backward, suddenly brought back to the present. Ayumi, swaying dangerously atop my shoulders, screamed with laughter, and we both began to retaliate. A loud, very wet mêlée ensued.

Fifteen minutes later, Mitsuhiko was defeated and tumbled into the water. It took a while for us to convince the struggling and flailing boy that he was not drowning. When we had finally pulled him out, Mrs. Kojima called us up for lunch.

Afterwards, the kids put T-shirts on over their suits and ran off to build a sand fortress somewhere. As for me, I curled up on my towel like a contented cat, drenched in the intense noonday sunshine.

Closing my eyes, I tried to relax. I tried to forget about the confusing déjà vu that had just happened, and sleep for a while. I had just begun to drift off in the heat, when—

"Aahh!"

Something ice-cold and metallic pressed against my warm cheek. I sat up like I'd just been struck by lightning, almost knocking Conan down.

I turned to see him chuckling and holding a can of soda. "Sorry, neechan," he said, "but you just looked so hot lying there."

I raised my eyebrows.

"I mean," he stammered, his face turning red as he realized the mistake in his choice of wording, "you looked so _warm _lying there—I mean...you look like you could use a drink."

Laughing now at his expression, I accepted the soda and thanked him for his thoughtfulness. But as I watched him dart off to where the other Detective Boys were furnishing their sand fortress, a thought emerged in my mind.

_Ambushing me with a cold soda is something Shinichi always did,_ I realized, putting a hand to the side of my face where it had gone numb.

_Saturday, 3:21 p.m._

Dad had been invited to a dinner party of an old classmate of his a few days ago, and he'd happily accepted. He was in enough of a good mood to actually invite me and Conan to come along.

However, a disaster occurred, as they often will in the life of the investigator, and Dad soon found himself on another case—the death of one of the guests, a young actor. The body had been found in the bathroom in the middle of the party, a knife in his hand, killed by a wound straight through the heart.

As I fought my way through the crowd to look for where my dad was examining the body, I felt a small person suddenly dart past me. I glanced down to find Conan trying to edge through.

"Conan," I reprimanded gently, coming to a halt as I tugged him back, "it's not for kids to see." I bent to his level. "You shouldn't interfere, okay? Let's let Dad do his work, and you can come back with me."

"But—" he began to protest. When he saw that I wasn't giving in, he obediently followed me back to a table, where we sat to wait for the crowd to disperse.

Inspector Megure and the officers arrived in a few minutes, and everyone had been ordered to leave the bathroom, but not to leave the building. They began to conduct the usual investigation, determining the time of death. I had no desire to be around the scene of the crime, and stood up to go out for some fresh air, when I realized that Conan was no longer sitting in the chair beside me.

"Oh, no. Conan?" I looked frantically around in hopes of seeing his head pop up somewhere, but the only people in the dining room were anxious guests. I turned to look at the door leading out to the hallway. It was slightly ajar. If he _had_ gone out, there was only one place he would be.

I hurried to the bathroom, which had been surrounded with yellow tape. I ducked through it and sure enough, he was kneeling by the body, frowning slightly as he looked at the wound.

"Hey, Inspector?" he questioned as he stood up. "If it were a suicide, wouldn't he be holding the knife the wrong way?"

"What?" Inspector Megure hurried over. "Conan, you're not supposed to—"

"But just look!" He pointed at the victim's right hand. "His hand is in the wrong position to be holding the knife. Normally if you stab yourself, wouldn't the position be like this?" Conan demonstrated.

The inspector nodded. "Yes, that's right!"

"Plus," Conan added, "I saw this man earlier, because he sat beside us. He was left-handed, when he ate, and when he signed autographs for people. Do you think he would have stabbed himself with an unsteady right hand?"

"This could be a murder, disguised as suicide," Megure agreed. He called for the officers to start questioning people's alibis. "But nevertheless, Conan-kun, you shouldn't be in here. Go back to Ran-kun, okay? She must be worried about you."

"You bet I was," I said, choosing this time to step forward. "Conan-kun, didn't I tell you not to come in here?"

"I'm sorry!" he cried, running to me. "I was just telling the Inspector something important."

"Well," I conceded as I took him down the hallway, "if it helps with the investigation I guess it's not a bad thing. But the police and Dad can figure things out. You don't have to worry."

We headed for a balcony, where we stood in a cool night wind. "Speaking of figuring things out," I added, "how did you know all those things you were telling Inspector Megure?"

He shrugged. "I guess I'm just observant. Noticing even the small things can be important, you know?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes…I guess it can." _Like all the small things about you, _I wanted to say. _Like all the small things about Shinichi._

This wasn't the first time Conan had given the police useful information on a case. And it certainly wasn't the first time he'd been caught examining a crime scene. He was smart, I knew, but smart enough to help solve murders that baffled even chief inspectors? He always seemed to want to get involved in these things, and he always did. Playing detective was his favorite game.

_If he really is just playing, _the familiar voice of doubt in my head spoke up.

I groaned and put a hand to my forehead. More suspicion. This was getting to be something hard to ignore.

_Sunday, 7:38 p.m._

I am clearing off the table and setting out dinner for Dad; he has a client to see to tonight, and will be home late. Conan and I have already finished eating, and he just went off to his room to do some homework.

Which reminds me I have some…_work_ of my own to do.

I set the fork on the napkin, wash my hands in the sink, and then go down the hall to my room, where I turn on my desk lamp and sit down. I hesitate before I pull a pad of paper to me, tapping with a pen as I think. _Do I dare…?_

Finally I pluck up the courage to write. When I do, I look at the paper with some uncertainty. I can't believe what I'm doing. And yet, I feel like I have to. I can't keep living in the dark. I frown at the heading on the sheet:

_Is Edogawa Conan really Kudo Shinichi?_

Just looking at the words sends a little tingling wake-up jolt of electricity running through me, as if my brain is saying, "Hellooo, clue in, please."

Filled with resolve, I put down a subheading and start at number one under it.

_Reasons Why He IS Shinichi:_

_1. He possesses many of Shinichi's qualities, such as his obsession with Holmes, his love for soccer, and his passion for mystery._

_2. He knows things that are between Shinichi and me, and which I don't recall telling anybody else._

_3. He has intelligence far beyond most kids of his age._

_4. He seems to be in contact with Shinichi when nobody else can reach him._

_5. He looks so much like Shinichi did when he was younger._

_6. He always wants to protect me, just like Shinichi does._

I stop there, something coming to my attention. What if that's the reason I'm thinking this way? Do I _want_ Conan to be Shinichi, just so I'll have my best friend again? Is it because that's how much I miss him? Is it because this is how much I want—no, _need_ him back?

To my horror, a tear is coursing down my cheek. I dash it away, embarrassed that I'm crying over something like this, and continue the list. But I add another column so that I now have the pros and cons,just to be sure.

_Reasons Why He ISN'T Shinichi:_

_1. How could that be possible? People don't just turn into seven-year-olds overnight._

_2. I've occasionally seen Shinichi and Conan at the same time._

Looking at the cons, I can now see that they are pretty tough to argue with. Maybe I was wrong after all.

But isn't it Shinichi who's always saying that nothing is impossible? He does hang around Agasa's a lot…can't it be possible he drank some experimental concoction the Professor had been developing?

And can't people like Kaito KID disguise themselves well enough to look like someone else?

They are still arguable, in any case. And as far as I can see, the pros are outweighing the cons. There is every possibility that Conan could be Shinichi.

I stand up, heated determination coursing through me. I now think I see the truth, and I know what I have to do.

I clutch the list tightly in both hands and tear it in two.

Sighing, I watch as the pieces of paper flutter down into the trash can, having served their purpose. Then I lie back on my bed, gazing up at the ceiling, reflecting on what I have decided. At first, all I'd wanted was to free myself—be free from all the worrying, the waiting, the sleepless nights. Be free from whatever fear I had for Shinichi, and maybe for myself. I don't know why, but somehow finding out the facts doesn't matter to me that much anymore.

Of course, if what I think is right, I'm hurt that he would try and keep something like this from me. It's no small deal, and after having suspected him all this time, I deserve to know. After all, we _are_ best friends, right?

But being best friends also means giving each other the benefit of the doubt. It means knowing how to trust each other. And I know that I'd trust Shinichi with my life.

He must have his own reasons for not telling me. When the time is right, when he is ready, he will tell me.

I am still unsure as to the real identity of Edogawa Conan. I can't tell if the body of the seven-year-old boy I see really hides the heart of my one true friend. But I will leave the matter as it is, and leave the truth alone, to come to light finally someday.

Maybe it's because I think knowing is worse than not knowing.

Or maybe...

Or maybe it's because I have learned to love mysteries, too.

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_I was working my way through three discs of DC episodes and after an overdose of the phrase "Shinjitsu wa itsumo hitotsu!", that old saying "the truth shall set you free" popped into my head. I added the Random Word "banana" my friend Danielle gave me, and...ta-dah! (Although the banana only appears twice...it doesn't play a significant part other than keeping our beloved characters from dying of starvation.)_

_It's my first Ran POV, so I think she turned out kinda OOC. Hope it was okay though. Until next chapter…_

_The game's afoot! __**-BlackMailer**_

Genta: NEXT BLACKMAILER'S HINT!!

BlackMailer: (uppity voice) I must note, my asinine acquaintance, your atrocious lack of parsing knowledge.

Genta: My behind is in a _what?_

Conan: A-_hem… _"Shinku".


	7. A Study in Scarlet

**Tsugi Tsugi To!**

_Yup, yup, back again! This is for kchan…I hope you like it! _

_Also thanks to my sempai, HyuugaVSUchiha, the author of an amazing Naruto fanfic called "Sorry, Honey, the Bachelor Wanted the Cheesecake". If you're a Sasuke and Sakura fan, please read it! It's definitely worth your time. DC, me no ownie._

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**A Study in Scarlet**

**Random Phrase: And red means…**

"Ran! Hey, Ran!"

Sonoko Suzuki burst through the door of the Mouri Detective Agency. She was panting hard as she leaned against the frame.

Having just come out of the kitchen balancing a tray of lemon squares, Ran Mouri quickly set them on the table and faced her gossipy friend. She knew Sonoko was usually excited over something, and today that _something_ had her looking as though TWO-MIX had shown up at her front door.

_Not that __that's__ completely impossible, _Ran chuckled inwardly.

"What happened, Sonoko? Did Makoto pop the question at last?" she joked.

"No," Sonoko wheezed, although she blushed a little, "nothing like that. It's something concerning _you."_

"Me?" Ran blinked. "What are you talking about? Tell me!"

She merely shook her head, but that mischievous gleam was in her eye. "There's a delivery downstairs," she replied. "It's for you."

Ran untied her apron and hung it over the back of a chair. "Really? Well…it's probably Mom's birthday gift!" she cried, taking the first stair. "You don't mind waiting a minute, do you? I won't be long."

"Oh, no. I'm coming with you!" Sonoko raced after her.

As she hurried down to the first floor, Ran couldn't help spacing out just a little bit. _Eighteen years old today, _she thought giddily. _It feels special…despite the fact that I'm getting __old._

Ran always cherished her birthdays, no matter what she was doing or where she was celebrating. She thought of it as an occasion to get her friends together, and a reminder that she was loved by so many people. It was a good feeling.

Of course, the guest who always had a mandatory invitation wasn't around to celebrate with her this year…but Ran was determined not to be put off by this. _He'll call me later, I'm sure of it, _she told herself, even though she could never be sure.

Upon reaching the door, Ran met the deliveryman, who was tending to his motorcycle. "Miss Ran Mouri? Good morning, ma'am," he said politely, "and happy birthday."

"Thank you very much." She smiled. "From Eri Kisaki?" she guessed.

The deliveryman grinned, and Ran was reminded of the way Sonoko had looked a minute earlier. "Actually, no ma'am…this is from Happy Hana Florist's. A special delivery for you. The person didn't leave a name."

"Didn't leave a…" Ran paused for a minute; then a spark of realization flared in her brain. "Oh, it's _that_ person again! I didn't expect…"

"That person?" Sonoko looked from the deliveryman to her friend. "Who are you talking about?"

"Here you go." The deliveryman presented Ran with a wrapped bouquet of flowers. She signed for it without another word and thanked the man as he rode off. She then turned for the stairs, humming to herself as she clasped the bouquet.

Feeling left out, Sonoko grabbed Ran by the arm. "What's going on? Who was that from?" she asked, trying to see the flowers over her shoulder.

"Nobody…" Ran entered the apartment and laid them on the table beside the lemon squares. "I need a plate for the dessert," she said offhandedly, trying to hide her pink cheeks. "I'll just be in the ki—"

"Oh, no you don't." Sonoko was not, repeat, not letting this slide. She knew a good secret when she saw one, and this one was definitely good."Not until you tell me what just happened here."

"B-but the lemon squares," protested Ran feebly.

"I don't give a darn about the lemon squares _now! _Who was that delivery from? I know you know! Tell me or I'll—"

"Ran-neechan, I'm home! Happy bir—" Conan ran in, triumphant from his win at Last Illusion against Genta, only to freeze at the sight of Sonoko miming strangling Ran. "What's going on?"

"Welcome home, Conan-kun," breathed Ran, relieved to be saved. "Would you like a lemon—"

"What's going _on?_ That's exactly what I'd like to know!" Sonoko interrupted, her fiery eyes demanding an answer. "Your _neechan_ here," she directed at Conan, "just received a special delivery of flowers and won't tell who they're from!"

"Oh…a secret admirer, Ran-neechan?" Conan hinted teasingly. "Who could it be?" He winked.

"Stop it, both of you!" Ran was blushing furiously. "I'll tell you about it if you promise not to tell anyone else, and not to mention it ever again."

"Yes, ma'am," the two eager listeners chorused.

"Fine." Ran exhaled slowly, picking up the bouquet and pushing back the paper to reveal a bunch of beautiful scarlet roses.

"Oh my gosh! They're gorgeous!" Sonoko reached out to touch one. "So, who are they from?"

Ran laughed. "To tell you the truth…I really, honestly, genuinely do not know."

"WHAT?!" Sonoko was shocked. "No way!" Conan's eyes widened.

"Mm-hmm." Ran folded the paper back and set the bouquet down again. "I've been getting the same red roses every year, all from an anonymous sender. It started when I was in elementary school…"

**&&&&&**

"Wow, I'm the first one here!" At school that morning, the new-ten-year-old Ran skipped down the hall to her classroom. She peered through the glass window and tried the door. "Oh…it's locked." She doubled back to ask the teacher for the key, but found that the teacher hadn't arrived yet either. Feeling a little alone, she instead made for the playground swings. Nothing could dampen her spirits today!

As she pumped harder and harder, and swung higher and higher, Ran felt on top of the world in the middle of that clear blue. She couldn't resist whooping joyfully as she felt the rush of the wind and flew up again. _Ten years old, finally! What could be better than this?_

"Hey, Ran!"

"Whoa—" Ran stalled and the swing lurched crazily out of control. "I—can't—stop—" she called, jerking back and forth with the uneven motions of her seat.

Suddenly she felt a hand slide around the chain and pull hard. The swing moved back into place and stopped. Ran looked over her shoulder and met the familiar blue gaze. "Shinichi!" She put a hand to her chest. "That was scary! Thanks for stopping me."

The young detective shrugged. "Sure. Happy tenth birthday, by the way." Grinning, he held out a wrapped box, which Ran eagerly tore open to find a silver bracelet.

"Oh, Shinichi—it's so pretty!" She slipped it on right away and gave Shinichi a hug.

"Yeah, well…you're welcome." Shinichi pulled away and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He cleared his throat. "Let's get going."

"'Kay." Ran picked her own bag up and followed Shinichi up the steps.

When Ran reached the empty classroom, she was surprised to find a red rose lying on the top of her desk. "What's this?" She set her backpack on the floor and picked it up, caressing the soft petals. "It's so pretty…but…there's no card or anything on it. Is it really meant for me?"

Shinichi leaned over her shoulder. "Who's the flower from?"

"Don't know." Ran frowned. "It was just lying here on my desk with no note or anything. It might be for someone else, and have been put here by accident."

"I doubt that, if you have your nametag stuck to your desk," Shinichi pointed out, bending down to tie a stray shoelace.

"I guess not." Ran thought for a moment. "Wait a minute—I was the first one here this morning!" Her head whipped around, and she stared at Shinichi. "The classroom was locked, so I couldn't get in…I even looked through the window and I didn't see any rose on my desk. I'm _positive._ So how…"

"A real mystery!" exclaimed Shinichi excitedly. "Or it could be…" He cocked his head slyly. "It could be the Ghost of Teitan Elementary!"

"Stop it!" squealed Ran, whacking Shinichi's shoulder. Then she became sober, puzzling it over as she ran her finger over the flower petals. "Hmm. Whoever it was, it was nice of them, but I wish they'd tell me who they are." She put the rose back on her desk.

Homeroom started, and their classes went on as usual. But during reading time, the teacher asked them to get their books so they could continue the next chapters. Ran unzipped her backpack and gasped.

A second red rose was inserted into her reading book.

Glancing around to see if there were any telltale signs of the sender, Ran pulled both the book and the flower out, examining them carefully. As far as she could tell, there was nothing anywhere to point to anyone she knew. And—she felt a slight chill run down her spine as she thought of this—hadn't her bag been in her sight the entire morning?

This was getting to be a little creepy.

"Shinichi," Ran hissed during free period, "look at this." She showed him the second flower. "It was in my book, which was in my bag, and I'm sure I had the bag with me the whole time."

Shinichi pointed at Ran's book. "Too bad you touched it," he said. "Maybe we could fingerprint it."

"Maybe we could," she agreed. "Did you bring your powder?"

"Well…no." Shinichi grimaced. "But preserve the evidence; don't touch it unless necessary, and keep it in a safe place. I might find some prints yet."

"I know _that." _Ran was all too familiar with his sleuthing methods.

The science teacher called for both of them to distribute worksheets just then, and Shinichi and Ran got up and began moving along the aisles. As Ran placed a worksheet on each desk, she began wondering more strongly—who was this mysterious flower giver?

She returned to her desk, having finished distributing, and picked up her own worksheet. Her hand felt around inside her desk for a pencil; she withdrew one and glanced sideways to see Shinichi looking at her.

"Can I borrow your science notebook?" he mouthed. "I need notes on plant reproduction." Ran nodded and reached in again for the notebook. Then her heart skipped a beat. What was—

Ran gave a great tug and gasped asroses flew out of her desk, orange-red petals exploding all over her. "Wha—wha—" She couldn't help laughing in pure delight as she struggled to catch the flowers.

Everyone was staring at her, including Shinichi.

"I asked for _notes,_" he quipped, "but I think this is a better example of plant reproduction, don't you?"

Ran just shook her head, a pleased smile on her face, as she counted eight more roses in her hands. _That's ten roses…one for every year._

Whoever this anonymous person was…they were _good._

**&&&&&**

"…The flowers continued the next year," Ran finished, watching the faces of her enraptured audience. (Well, Sonoko was, anyway.) "But this time they were delivered to my doorstep…and then by the delivery service for the next couple years, always the same red roses, one added for every birthday. But then, two years ago, I think, they stopped. I guess maybe the person thought I didn't like them or something…" She had a melancholy smile on her lips. "If only they knew how much I loved these flowers…"

"But—but _Ran!!"_ Sonoko screeched suddenly. You could tell she had been dying to say this. "Don't you know—don't you know what red roses _mean?!"_

"No…why, what do they mean?"

"A red rose means," Sonoko snickered gleefully, "it means _true love!"_

Ran couldn't help it. She went from girl to tomato in two seconds. "L-love? But…but then who could…?"

Sonoko was thinking hard, a serious expression on her face. "I've got it!" she cried, snapping her fingers. "Kudo-kun, of course! It could only be that detective nerd."

"Shinichi?" Ran put a hand to her mouth as her best friend came to mind. For a moment she considered the possibility that Shinichi was the anonymous sender. _But then that would mean he…_

"No way," she chuckled, recovering quickly. "Shinichi already gave me his birthday gift every year…and besides, remember what I told you? The classroom was completely locked that day, and I didn't see anything on my desk. The other times too… One bouquet was even hand-delivered to my doorstep during the time Shinichi was in Los Angeles with his parents! No," she said again, "it _couldn't_ possibly be him."

"Huh," Sonoko argued, "little things like that couldn't have stopped Kudo-kun. But…he is _definitely_ not that thoughtful or sweet, so we know it's not him then. Yeah, I guess you're right…"

_Thanks a heap, Suzuki, _Conan grumbled inwardly.

Ran began to attend to the dessert once more. "Lemon square, Conan-kun?" she asked the little boy, patting his head.

"Of course! Thank you, Ran-neechan," Conan chirped, taking one and digging in heartily.

"But what an amazing story," Sonoko swooned dreamily. "It sounds just like a romance novel…and you don't even know your admirer's name!"

Offering some to her friend, Ran could only murmur agreement. "I guess I'm destined never to know." She went to the apartment door, realizing she'd forgotten to lock it in her excitement over the flowers. "At least they gave me one this year. It made me really happy to…" Her sentence died as she saw a small white card lying facedown on the mat.

On it was the Happy Hana Florist's logo.

Wordlessly, Ran bent over to pick it up and read the words typed on it. Her breath caught in her throat and her heartbeat galloped into overdrive.

"Ran? What'd you—_is that the card?" _Sonoko's eyes grew round.

"See for yourself." Ran handed it to Sonoko breathlessly. "It must have fallen out when I ran back up here."

"Let me see, Sonoko-neechan!" Conan jumped up to take a look, and all together they read just three words:

_To the woman._

"'The woman'? What does that mean? That doesn't even tell us a thing about the sender!" groaned Sonoko, disappointed. "And I was so sure…"

But Ran had caught the literary reference immediately. And finally knowing who had been sending her the stunning red roses year after year, gave her an immense sense of satisfaction, pride, gratitude, and a pang deep down in her heart.

'The woman'…used in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's _A Scandal in Bohemia, _used to describe Irene Adler; the brave, clever, proud opera singer who stole the heart of every man she met. Irene Adler, the only woman Doyle's fictional detective had ever, or would ever, love.

Gently stroking each of the eighteen scarlet blossoms, the woman cradled them in her arms, as if trying to preserve their beauty forever in her memory. She took them over to the windowsill and gazed up at the sunlit heavens, her cheeks delicately turning the same color as the flowers she held in her hands.

_Thank you, Mr. Holmes, _her wistful smile said.

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_…but I'm sure you guessed right away, huh?_

_(P.S. The video game "Last Illusion" is made-up, but get the synonyms of the name and you'll find it's based on something real.)_

_(P.P.S. My birthday was a little while ago, and I was so touched to find that I really DID receive a bouquet of red roses! blush)_


	8. National Hug Day

**Tsugi Tsugi To!**

_I really wasn't supposed to update so soon, but I was struck with a brilliant idea while singing in the shower yesterday. (Yes…I sing in the shower…) _

_Dedicated to the very amazing Rani07! _

_Hope you enjoy! Tally ho, chaps!_

**Disclaimer: DC, me no ownie.**

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**National Hug Day**

"Good morning, Sono—_oof!"_

Ran had walked through the school gates that morning, waving to greet her friend as always. Sonoko, however, had answered by running straight for her—actually, running straight _into_ her—and giving her a big, hard hug.

Ran's eyes widened at the force of impact. "What's going on?"

Sonoko straightened up, smiling brightly at her. "Happy National Hug Day!" she sang, twirling around and around.

Ran tilted her head, puzzled. "National…_Hug_ Day? Today?"

"Yup!" Sonoko clapped her hands together. "Today is the day you show people how much you care for them by giving them a hug!"

Laughing, Ran continued walking up the steps. "Wow, Sonoko, I never knew you celebrated such obscure holidays."

"Oh, come on! You're the one who's always so kind and loving like that! If anyone should be celebrating National Hug Day, it should be you." Sonoko paused. "Oh, and I also heard that it's best to hug as many people as you can. That way, we spread the joy! See you in class," she called, as she skipped off to surprise another classmate. "Hey, Maruko-chan! Happy National Hug Day…"

Ran shook her head as she watched her friend go. _She's really taking this seriously, _she chuckled to herself.

_National Hug Day, huh?_

She was going to be pretty busy today…

**----- ----- -----**

Even before lunch time, Ran had already 'spread the joy' to all her classmates, teachers, karate teammates, and even the school custodian (who had looked a little astonished but pleased all the same). And she found that Sonoko was right—doing this was making her feel a lot happier.

Still, there was one hug she had yet to give…

And that was for probably the least huggy person she knew.

It took Ran a long time to finally work up the courage to just go and do it. After all, this wasn't something she normally did. As it was, the person she was looking for was proving very hard to find.

_I'm still not sure about this… _Ran frowned as she dodged a group of chattering girls in the hallway on her way to math class. _Won't it be kind of strange if I—_

But Ran's thoughts were interrupted, when her gaze met a pair of clear blue eyes.

"Oh, hey, Ran," Shinichi Kudo called. Fighting through the surge of people as they entered the math classroom, he came to her side. "What's up?"

"Oh…just school," she groaned, smiling back.

"I haven't seen you around in a while." Shinichi shrugged. "We must be pretty busy, what with all the schoolwork."

"Yeah, I know. I am." Ran shifted uncomfortably, suddenly at a loss for words as she looked into her friend's well-known face. "Uh…have you seen Sonoko today?"

Shinichi thought. "No…not recently. Why?"

"Oh, nothing…just…wondering." Strangely Ran felt glued to the floor; stiff as a board. On top of that, her arms had chosen this particular moment to go extremely numb. "Well, I better get to math, so—so see you later!" She managed to yank her feet from the floor at last, swiveling and heading into the classroom.

Shinichi waved before going off too, leaving Ran to her thoughts again.

_What happened to me back there?_

Ran sat all through the class, replaying the scene in her mind over and over again. There was something very wrong with the picture, she knew. There were none of the usual jokes, no teasing, not even as much enthusiasm as there used to be.

_I guess it's true, _she finally realized.

_Shinichi and I are growing apart._

_We've become sort of distanced from each other lately. We don't talk the way we used to; we don't see each other as often…it's just not the same._

On the way home, Ran was very withdrawn and solemn. She walked alone down to the convenience store to get a few things before heading for the apartment. Just as she rounded the corner, she barely missed running into Sonoko.

"Oi, Ran!" gasped Sonoko. "Geez, try to keep an eye out next time!"

"Sorry! I didn't see you there." Ran held up her shopping bag. "Just got some things, and I was trying to hurry home…"

"Eh, sure. But is something wrong? You look kinda down. Or did I forget to hug you today?"

Ran cracked a smile at last. "Nope, you definitely didn't forget that."

Sonoko winked. "You know me: I'd do anything for a best friend." She glanced over her shoulder. "Well, I gotta be going too. 'Bye, Ran!" She scurried down the street.

"But Sonoko, wait—" Ran sighed as she watched her leave, turned around and once more bumped into the person behind her.

Who, somehow, turned out to be Shinichi.

"Whoa!" He held her arm to steady her. "You okay, Ran?"

"Oh, no, I'm so sorry," Ran began, faltering as she absorbed what had just happened. "I'm kind of a klutz today," she joked weakly.

Shinichi raised an eyebrow. "Well, just make sure you don't _klutz _your way into the hospital," he grinned.

They laughed together.

"Shinichi," Ran said finally, "I'm sorry about…you know, not being able to see you more often."

"No problem. I guess it's something that can't be helped. But hey, it doesn't mean we're not friends anymore, right?"

Ran felt her mouth turn upwards in a smile. _You know…you're right. _

All at once she heard Sonoko's parting words: _I'd do anything for a best friend. _And she decided to do something right now.

Before she could even stop to think, Ran had thrown her arms around Shinichi and yelled all in a rush, "InhonorofNationalHugDayIwanttosaythankyouforalwaysbeing

agoodfriendtome. HaveahappyNationalHugDayandthankyouverymuchbyeShinichisee

youonMonday!" Then without waiting to see Shinichi's reaction, she got a hold on her shopping bag and fled around the corner and out of sight.

Standing on the sidewalk, completely dumbfounded, Shinichi stared after his friend, trying to make some sense out of what had just happened. "Did she just say…National _Hug_ Day?" Then his face relaxed into a smile. "Well…it was a very nice thought, whatever it was."

And just before he left, he thought he saw someone cackling gleefully and speeding in the opposite direction.

Someone with short, light brown hair…

**----- ----- -----**

"I'm home," announced Sonoko Suzuki as she ran up to her bedroom, flicking the computer on. An incredible sense of triumph filled her. _I can't believe my plan worked!_

The screen indicated that she had a new message waiting. "Huh? Hey, an e-mail from Onee-chan!" Sonoko clicked it open.

_Dear Sonoko,_

_Glad to hear you're doing fine over there. Don't worry; I'll be back in a few days, and then we can go shopping like I promised._

_Leave it up to you to invent a holiday like National Hug Day…but it's a very nice one, so a happy National Hug Day to you too!_

_Home soon,_

_Your onee-chan_

_P.S. This week is Resurrect Romance Week, you said? Well then, I hope you're having a very happy Resurrect Romance Week too._

Sonoko grinned like a vampire. "Oh, yes…I am having a very happy Resurrect Romance Week indeed." She paused thoughtfully, and then reached for a notebook, clicking a pen open. "Hmm, what holiday will I invent next…ooh, I know! How about Give Your Best Friend A Smooch Day?..."

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_Yup, this week really is Resurrect Romance Week! A very happy one to all._

_It's also Elvis Week by the way, so…thank yuh very much. _on


	9. If Only In Sleep

**Tsugi Tsugi To!**

_I know I haven't updated in so long...I'm sorry! This one is for the wonderful PheonixShadow, hiya there, friend! Rani07, thanks too, and I love your stories!_

_Disclaimer:__ DC me no ownie. The Sherlock Holmes quote used here is also obviously not mine; 'tis the rightful property of Sir Doyle. The Corrs also own their song "All the Love in the World". Thank you!_

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**If Only In Sleep**

**Random Phrase: **

**Don't want to wake up alone anymore**

**Still believing you'll walk through my door**

**All I need is to know it's for sure**

**That I'll give all the love in the world…**

"Shinichi..."

A tentative whisper sounded in the night, softly breaking what had been a peaceful silence. A chilly breeze ruffled the curtain of the half-open window and swept through the darkness.

He slowly opened his eyes. Only black shadows playing in the corners of the room met his gaze, and he waited for night vision to kick in as he squinted around, half-awake.

"Wha..." Shinichi mumbled as he turned his head to the other bed across the room. "Ran...it's the middle of the night."

The girl sitting up in bed, clad in pink pajamas and clutching the blanket to her chest, swam hazily into his vision. "I can't get to sleep," she said.

"Count sheep," was his brusque, slightly grumpy answer.

"Shinichiii!"

"Whaaat?"

"I think there's a ghost in here."

Shinichi frowned slightly. Ran was always known to overreact to things concerning the supernatural. "What are you talking about? Ghosts aren't real." He rolled over, yawning. "Now go back to sleep."

"But I'm serious!" Her voice was high and shrill. "There's a shadow on the wall that keeps on moving, and it's not you or me!"

Not bothering to turn around, Shinichi replied calmly, "It's the shadow of the tree branch outside the window."

"There _is_ no branch outside the window!"

"Yes, there is—you just can't see it because of your position. If you were to stick your head out the window you would see that there is a tree branch directly overhanging this room. The moonlight strikes it at a certain angle so that the shadow is projected onto the wall."

Amazing how he could still give such scientific explanations at two in the morning. But that was the child prodigy of the Kudo family for you.

"_Now_ will you go to sleep?"

There was no reply, which he took to mean 'yes'. Settling back down himself, Shinichi had just begun to drift back to dreamland when—

"What if it's a murderer?" squeaked Ran suddenly.

"You woke me up again for _that?_" he hissed.

"Sorry...but there's a weird tapping noise on the wall outside..."

As patiently as he could muster, he tried to convince her that this 'murderer' was merely a figment of her imagination, but to no avail.

"Look, Ran, it's the tree branch knocking against the house. I told you. You're just thinking about _The House of Fear. _Would you please...?"

"Well, who wanted to watch that dumb movie anyway?" she retorted, defiant in spite of her clearly trembling voice.

"And _who_ wanted to sleep over at my house? Look, I'm right here, that shadow is made by a _branch,_ and if someone _does_ come, which I'm pretty sure they won't, my dad's awake downstairs. Okay?"

"Mm..."

"Good." With a relieved sigh, Shinichi closed his eyes.

Suddenly the overhead light was switched on, blaring in his face.

"Augh—what is it?" He jerked to a sitting position and saw Ran standing by the wall switch.

"T-the light," Ran answered timidly. "I'll be able to sleep if the light's on…"

Shinichi gave her an I-don't-think-so look. "What's the big deal, Ran…can you just turn it off? You're going to waste electricity, and besides, it's impossible for me to sleep with the light on." Obediently, she turned it back off and scuttled to her bed.

Great, he groaned mentally. What with all that racket, now _he _couldn't get to sleep. Maybe quoting from Holmes would help. Let's see...

"_Problems may be solved in the study which have baffled all those who have sought a solution by the aid of their senses. To carry the art, however, to its highest pitch, it is necessary that the reasoner should be able to utilize all the facts which have come to his knowledge..."_

"Um, Shinichi..."

"_...and this in itself implies, as you will readily see, a possession of all knowledge..."_

"Shinichi..."

_"...which, even in these days...is a somewhat rare accomplishment."_

"Shinichi!"

"Unnh...what _now?"_

"...I need to use the bathroom."

"Go ahead. You know where it is." He burrowed his head deeper into the pillow.

"I'm not going by myself! Come with me!"

"Ran, I'm _not_ gonna—oh, fine. Just so you'll promise to leave me alone after this." Grudgingly, Shinichi rolled out of bed and followed her down the hallway to the bathroom door. Coping with Ran tonight, he thought, rubbing his eyes, would be an even rarer accomplishment than the possession of all knowledge.

Ran was standing hesitantly in front of the bathroom, hand hovering over the doorknob as if she expected something to leap out at her from inside. She probably did, too, thought Shinichi with some annoyance.

"Can you..."

"Yeah, whatever." Shinichi moved her aside and opened the door for her, flicking the light switch on. "Do you want the plunger, in case the toilet comes alive?" he asked irritably after she had stepped inside. Her reply was a loud door slam in his face.

When Ran had finished and both of them had gotten back into bed, Shinichi was far too tired to try to argue or reason with her anymore, and immediately pulled the cover over his head. He was perfectly prepared to go right back to sleep and ignore any further disturbances. Let Ran sit up all night if she must, but he was _not_ going to care any longer.

Or he _wouldn't_ have, had not the sounds of muffled crying reached his ears.

Sitting up abruptly, Shinichi looked over to the other side of the room. A curled-up form huddled under the blanket was visible at the foot of the bed. "Ran?" he asked quietly.

The only answer he received was a hiccupping sob.

"Ran? What happened?"

"N-nothing." She shook her head under the cover. "I'm fine. Just..."

"What? Homesick? You had a nightmare? Are you going to throw up? What?"

"...I'm just afraid of the dark, okay?" Ran blurted out.

Shinichi was silent for a while, frowning and listening to his best friend crying. He just couldn't leave her like that, could he? He had to think of _something_ to help her get to sleep.

"Hey, Ran. Do you want to sleep over here tonight?"

She stifled another sob, this time sticking her head out. "W-what?" Rubbing her eyes vigorously, she blinked them free of tears.

He smiled and patted the space beside him. "Get your pillow and you can come over here for tonight, if you want."

In a quick bound, Ran had flung herself across the room and thrown her arms hard around him, knocking him down.

"Ow," Shinichi stated, sending Ran into a burst of giggles.

"Sorry," she whispered, tucking her pillow in at the head of the bed with a smile and snuggling under the cover.

Shinichi pulled the blanket up over both of them. "Okay now?"

She nodded, her eyelids fluttering closed.

The two children lay side by side in the calm of the darkness, warmed by both the blanket they shared and the pure, peaceable happiness that radiated between them.

"Um, Shinichi?"

_"Yes,_ Ran?"

"...Thank you."

**&&&&&&&**

Seventeen-year-old Ran Mouri awoke with a shuddering gasp. Trying to catch her breath as she glanced around her darkened bedroom, she finally sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Those recurring dreams...

She'd been having them for a while now, each one of them a memory from the times when Shinichi had still been around. Ran enjoyed being with him again, even if only in her sleep, but every time she awoke they left her feeling lost, empty and alone.

The young chestnut-haired woman shivered in the sudden icy touch of the night wind and at the rapping of tree branches on the window. The pitch-black emptiness made the isolation even more unbearable. Getting up, she opened her bedroom door and quietly made her way down the hall, slipping through faint shafts of moonlight.

Ran had to blindly navigate her way through the unlit kitchen around chairs and tables, almost tripping over a garbage can in the process. Feeling for the refrigerator door, she yelped in surprise when her hand fell upon what felt like someone's arm.

"Ow! Ran-neechan?!"

"Oh..." Her grip on the person's wrist relaxed as she realized who it was. She put a hand to her pounding heart, sighing, "You _scared _me, Conan-kun."

"I'm sorry," came the quiet reply. The boy blinked up at her, eyes still half-closed from sleep. "Just wanted a glass of water. I didn't turn the light on because I thought you might wake up."

She smiled and laid her hand on his head, further rumpling his already sleep-tousled hair. "You couldn't sleep either, huh?"

"Mm-hm." The refrigerator door creaked open, and Conan reached in for the water pitcher. They poured two glasses and sat together at the kitchen table, both silently looking out the window at the black skies.

Cinereous wisps of cloud obscured the pale moonlight that night. The air was heavy with a dark, intense silence.

Ran stared into the depths of her water glass and sighed deeply.

"Ran-neechan, is something wrong?"

She looked up to see a troubled expression on his face. It pained her to think that she was causing him worry. So she lied, "No, nothing's wrong…"

They headed back to their bedrooms, Ran taking hold of Conan's hand before they parted ways. But when Ran returned to her cold bed and got under the blanket, she felt something aching inside her. When she could stand it no longer, she threw the sheets off and silently went next door to the extra bedroom.

A desk lamp was still beaming brightly. Under the covers with one arm resting on the pillow, Conan lay fast asleep on the bed. Ran smiled at the stack of comic books that stood beside him, which he'd probably used to read himself to sleep. Turning off the light and adjusting his crooked glasses, she sat beside his sleeping form.

Ran could never explain it, but this little seven-year-old boy always made her feel more calm…more safe somehow. She laid a hand on his shoulder. Maybe it was because he was always looking out for her, always protecting her…always there for her. The very thought brought tears to her eyes.

_It reminds me of that dream I had…that cold night a couple of years ago. I know I miss Shinichi…but if dreams are the only way I'll get to see him ever again, I'm not sure I want to. _

"Mn…" Conan stirred suddenly, causing Ran to pull her hand back. He squinted up at her. "Neechan?"

"Oh, no! I'm really sorry, Conan-kun. I didn't mean to wake you up," Ran whispered. "I just wanted to check to make sure you were asleep."

"Are you really sure you're okay? You still can't sleep?"

"W-well…no, I can't," she finally admitted. "But it's okay," she added hurriedly, "I'm leaving now."

"You don't have to," Conan mumbled, sitting up in bed. "You can stay in my bed tonight if you want, and I can sleep on the floor…just so you can have some company…"

Ran's eyes widened in surprise, then softened to a thankful look. "I'd appreciate that very much…thank you, Conan-kun."

"Anything for a quiet night," he replied, grinning slightly as he shifted a pillow and blanket to the floor.

In a few minutes, Ran's breathing eased as she drifted off, her long hair fanned out on the pillow, a contented smile on her face. Conan was left propped on one elbow, watching to make sure she was all right.

_She's always had trouble getting to sleep on rough nights, _he remembered, _but when she finally does fall asleep, not even the Apocalypse can wake her. _He shook his head.

Conan tilted his head towards the window, gaze fixed upon the light of the waning moon. For a moment, he thought he'd seen the same little girl afraid of the darkness that night long ago.

Satisfied, he closed his eyes too. "'Night, Ran," he said into the silence.

"Good night, Shinichi," she murmured back faintly.

But maybe they were only dreaming.

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_Good night to you too! _


	10. The Power of Observation

**Tsugi Tsugi To!**

_After battling my way through that fiery perdition of doom more commonly referred to as school…I was finally able to crush the stupid writer's block that's been impeding my way. So here it is: Chapter Ten. Hope ya like!_

_Disclaimer:__ DC, me no ownie._

* * *

**The Power of Observation**

**Random Phrase: I Spy**

"I spy, with my little eye…something purple."

"The purse of that woman over there by the pond."

"Right! You got it again, Conan!"

It was the middle of the afternoon, and the weather had been so nice recently that the JDL had decided to spend the rest of the day at the park. Ran had volunteered to walk Conan ahead. The two had flopped down in the grass and arbitrarily taken up a game of I Spy while waiting for the other children. Not surprisingly, Conan was winning.

"My turn again," the seven-year-old declared, scanning the park benches. "I spy, with my little eye…something…green!"

Ran glanced at the emerald grass, then at the trees surrounding them. "Very funny."

Conan grinned. "If it's so easy, try and guess, Ran-neechan!"

"The grass," Ran said.

"Nope."

"The trees."

"Uh-unh."

"The lily pads on the pond?"

"Guess again!"

"But the entire _park_ is green? What else is there?"

A triumphant smile spread across Conan's features. "That boy's shirt," he replied, pointing across to where two children were flying kites.

"Sneaky." Ran punched the boy's shoulder lightly. "Okay, you win this time. My turn—I spy with my little eye, something…wet."

The inner sleuth in Shinichi's mind immediately began to work. _Let's see…she was looking over by the pond just a minute ago, but that was probably just to throw me off. Besides, that would be too obvious. _Then he noticed her eyes wander over to one bench, where a man was giving his Labrador a belly rub. He thought for a moment.

_Something wet…Labrador…ah._

"The dog," he said casually, giving Ran a sideways glance. "It's panting, so its tongue is wet."

Ran now looked baffled. "How do you do that?" she demanded. "You guess every single riddle I can think of."

"Um…lucky guess?" suggested Conan innocently. "Besides, I could tell you were looking at the dog."

The chestnut-haired girl put a hand to her forehead. "I just gave it away, didn't I? Okay, your turn." She turned to smile at Conan.

Nodding, Conan cast around for a subject, and began. "I spy, with my little eye, something…something…"

Maybe it was the splash of the golden summer sunlight, or the cool, refreshing afternoon breeze. Or maybe it was just the way she had smiled at him. But whatever the reason, the detective suddenly let a stream of words he hadn't meant to say burst out of his mouth.

"I spy something beautiful."

Perplexed, Ran craned her head around in search for something that would fit the bill. "Hmm. That rosebush over there?"

"...N-no."

"That perfect cumulus cloud up in the sky?"

"Um…"

Ran continued to list all the things she could see that were 'beautiful', but each time Conan shook his head. And for some reason, she noticed that his face was slowly turning crimson.

"Okay, I give up," said Ran finally, after having guessed a highly unlikely elderly man passing by. "What was it?"

Conan began to stammer, waving his hands in the air. "It was, uh, the, I was looking at a, I meant to say the, uh, uh…" Then, almost on cue, he was saved from having to answer by a chorus of voices directly behind him.

"Hi, Conan! Sorry we're late."

"Yeah, do you want to play ball now?"

Turning, Conan nodded at Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, Genta and Ai, who were grinning and proudly displaying a soccer ball. "Okay, we're going to play now! 'Bye, Ran-neechan!" he exclaimed, leaping up and running after them.

Ran, still a little confused from Conan's cryptic answer, waved after them and called back, "Just be careful! And make sure you're back before five-thirty!"

"I will!"

The group raced to a free space in the middle of the field, and agreed on a small game of soccer.

As they split up into two teams, Conan found himself breathing hard in relief at his close shave. He chuckled aloud at himself.

Haibara Ai sidled up to him in straight-faced silence. When he turned to look at her, there was a strange twinkle of amusement in her cold eyes.

"I spy a hopeless, lovesick idiot," she muttered, looking straight at him.

Conan grinned back at her sheepishly. "Guilty as charged."

* * *

_Annnnd…IT'S OVER!_

_Sorry I haven't updated in Godfrey Norton knows how long. Haibara makes her first appearance here, so yay for that, and __**Black Roses666**__ also has a cameo in one of the lines up there (see if you can find it). Please support her and her fics._

_Also, this is dedicated to my one and only Lily-chan! _

_Thank you for reading, and hope to hear from you! 'Till next time! __The game's afoot!_


	11. Achoo to You Too

**Tsugi Tsugi To!**

_After weeks and weeks and weeks!! I'm really sorry about the late update. If there's anyone you should thank for this chapter, it's Rani07. Seriously, Rani-sama, it was your prodding that finally got me off my lazy (overworked) behind to do this. I hail you!_

_P.S. Please read Rani07's Days of Romance; it's THE place for Ranichi fluff and lurve. I know she'll be happy too. (grin)_

_Disclaimer: DC, me no ownie. Yeehaa._

**Achoo to You Too.**

**Random Phrase: Whenever you sneeze…**

"Ah—ah—ah—_choo!_"

Sniffling, Conan tossed yet another used tissue into the trash can. He collapsed onto the basement sofa wearily, opening a textbook.

"_Dard_ dis cold," he muttered.

Although the weather was perfectly fine, Conan had for reasons unknown managed to get himself sick, coughing and sniffling nonstop for the past few days. He concluded it was probably a bug he'd picked up from somewhere, and decided to take it easy.

It _was_ extremely annoying, though, for three reasons: one, he couldn't complete three sentences without reaching for a Kleenex, two, sneezing too hard somehow made his glasses fall off, and three, the fact that both Conan _and_ Shinichi had colds was bound to make Ran suspicious.

"Ah-choo!" Conan groaned.

"Just be sure you don't infect me," warned Ai Haibara calmly, as she perused the pages of her book. "You've had this cold for a while now, Kudo-kun—are you sure it isn't something worse?"

Conan gave her a sideways look. "Something worse like what?"

"Pneumonia," she replied.

The detective rolled his eyes. "Doe—achoo—no. I've just been sneezing a lot." He readjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose and noted wryly that any criminal he'd be trying to sneak up on would hear him a mile away. "As a matter of fa—a—achoo!"

"Ran," Ai murmured absentmindedly, without even turning to face him.

"Wha—? Ah—ah—achoo!"

"Ran."

"Ah—AH-choo—"

"Ran."

"Wah-AAHCHOO—!"

"Ran."

Conan gaped at Haibara after this latest embarrassing sneezing fit. "Whad _are_ you talkig aboud?"

"Hm?" Ai turned a page.

"You keep saying 'Ran, Ran' every time I sneeze. What's that all about?"

One of her famous eerie smirks planted itself on Haibara's lips as she swiveled slowly in her chair. "Why, Kudo-kun, didn't you know? Every time you sneeze, someone's thinking about you," she said. "Whenever _you_ sneezed, I hazarded a guess as to who that someone might be." Ai stifled a giggle. "Frankly, I'm not surprised you have a cold."

Conan blinked, trying to process this information. When he realized what she was talking about, he very nearly opened his mouth to argue. He would have, too, had another sneeze not beat him to it.

"Ah-CHOOO—"

"Ran," announced Haibara, almost gleefully.

Shooting the girl his deadliest death glare, Conan got up and stormed out of the basement. "Excuse me—I need to make a call." The door slammed behind him, and Haibara distinctly heard four consecutive 'achoos' from the other side of it.

Ai shook her head and sighed. "He just doesn't understand how lucky he is," she said quietly, reaching for _The Count of Monte Cristo_ without another word.

--- --- ---

"Oh! The phone! I'll get that in a second!" Ran jumped and darted around the kitchen, trying to fix dinner while cleaning up the mess she'd made. The chicken still wasn't done, and after a little mishap with the pasta sauce, ground pepper was scattered all over the place.

Ran made a grab for the phone in mid-ring. "Good afternoon," she said breathlessly, "Mouri Detec—"

"WAH-CHOO."

Startled, Ran stared at the receiver. "…Hello?"

"Rad, id's be," croaked an unidentifiable voice.

"Who—Shinichi?" Ran put a hand to her mouth. "You sound terrible! Did you catch a cold?"

On the other end, Shinichi coughed. "Yeah. That's why I'm calling, actually. Listen, Ran—I just want to say, please stop worrying about me."

"What? Shinichi, what _are_ you talking about?"

"As in, don't think of me. At all."

Now _this_ was strange. Ran frowned. "I'm waiting for an explanation…"

Shinichi inhaled. "Ran, I know that maybe you think about me a lot more than you should, and I really do appreciate it, but could you please not do it until this cold clears up? Because the sneezing is making my life hell."

"Shinichi, I don't even understand a word you're say…" Ran trailed off as she felt a sudden urge coming over her. _Darn that pepper! _She thought, and sneezed. "Ah-choo! Excuse me…"

"Oh good," said Shinichi, "you got my message. Listen, I have to go now, but I'll catch ya later. Okay? 'Bye, Ran!"

And he hung up, leaving Ran confused, still covered in pepper, and wondering what the heck Shinichi meant by 'message'.

_YAY! Hopefully I'm going to be on a writing spree now._

_(As a side note, don't you think Ran gets left clueless too often? From now on I think I'll stop doing that. Don't worry, she'll figure Shinichi out…someday…)_

_Thanks for reading! Please tell me what you think! I welcome criticism with open arms, for it is my constructive _compadre


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